In 2025, the legacy of Professor Geoff Laurent continues to resonate across continents, laboratories, and conference halls, thanks to the enduring generosity of donors who believe in the power of science, mentorship, and international collaboration.

Through the Geoff Laurent Memorial Fellowships, donor support is inspiring a new generation of pulmonary fibrosis researchers – advancing the kind of globally connected, life-changing science that Professor Laurent championed throughout his career.

A proud alumnus of The University of Western Australia, Professor Laurent was a pioneering figure in respiratory medicine, with an influence that extended from Perth to University College London (UCL), and beyond. As Director of the Centre for Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine at UWA and Director of the Institute for Respiratory Health, he played a key role in shaping medical research in Western Australia. Whether on the sporting field or in the lab, his curiosity and intellect left a lasting impression on colleagues and students alike.

To honour his life and impact, a group of Professor Laurent’s close colleagues and friends came together to establish the Professor Geoff Laurent Memorial Fellowship, a program designed to support and inspire emerging scientists – just as he did throughout his career. At the heart of the program is his belief in mentoring, mobility, and the value of international experience.

In 2025, the Senior Geoff Laurent Fellowship was awarded to Associate Professor Vidya Navaratnam, a clinician-researcher at the Institute for Respiratory Health, whose work is already helping shape care for patients with pulmonary fibrosis. 

Her Fellowship enabled a research placement at UCL and Imperial College London, where she undertook one of the most comprehensive studies to date on a profoundly human aspect of the disease: the circumstances surrounding patient deaths.

Image: Associate Professor Vidya Navaratnam’s first team meeting with Professor Jennifer Quint’s group of researchers at Imperial College London.

By drawing on the UK’s national health datasets, Associate Professor Navaratnam explored how different care systems influenced where and how people with pulmonary fibrosis spent their final days. Her findings have direct implications for improving end-of-life care and informed policy development in the UK and Australia.

Thanks to donor support, the Fellowship also generated lasting outcomes: active collaborations with three leading UK research groups; a grant application to Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis (UK) to further explore palliative care pathways; participation in the REMAP-ILD international platform trial, linking researchers in Australia and the UK; transfer of biospecimens from the Trent Fibrosis Study Cohort to Perth, bolstering the research capacity of the Institute for Respiratory Health; and co-authored grant applications with UK researchers to investigate epigenetic markers in fibrosis.

“The Geoff Laurent Fellowship has been such a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with international research groups in the UK. Furthermore, having the opportunity to work with senior researchers mentored by Geoff has been a way to continue his research ethos in Western Australia.”

Associate Professor Navaratnam

Associate Professor Navaratnam’s work is a powerful example of research that translates into real-world outcomes – improving both scientific understanding and the dignity of care for patients.

Recognising the importance of international exposure, the Laurent Postgraduate Travel Scholarships were introduced in 2024 to help early-career researchers from both UWA and UCL share their work on the global stage. These scholarships have already enabled PhD students and postdoctoral scientists to attend leading conferences such as the International Colloquium on Lung and Airway Fibrosis (ICLAF).

In 2025, the program expanded again. A new scholarship was launched to support attendance at international events in non-ICLAF years, beginning with the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress in Amsterdam – a fitting tribute to Professor Laurent, whose legacy is also celebrated through the ERS Geoff Laurent Award for Best Oral Presentation.

Each Fellowship and Travel Scholarship funded by the Geoff Laurent Memorial Fund represents a collective investment in the future: advancing research, strengthening international networks, and supporting the next generation of scientists. It is donor generosity that makes this possible.

This investment has enabled young researchers to travel, connect and grow while empowering senior scientists to explore bold, under-researched areas. And above all, it ensures that Professor Laurent’s passion for discovery, collaboration, and mentorship continues to shape science and patient care for years to come.

Together, we are fuelling discovery across borders – and building a healthier, more connected future.

For more information or to support the Geoff Laurent Fellowships, please visit Geoff Laurent Memorial.