Mary Collins

Biography

Professor Mary Collins (Chebib) was awarded her PhD from Griffith University in 1994. After a six-year postdoctoral position at the Department of Pharmacology, she was appointed as Lecturer at the University of Sydney in 2000, Senior Lecturer in 2003, Associate Professor in 2007 and Professor of Pharmaceutical Neuroscience in 2012. Professor Collins (Chebib) received a number of awards including the ASCEPT Young Investigator Award, RACI Biota Award, entry to Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute Inc (RACI) (2006), and the University of Sydney Faculty of Pharmacy Higher Degree Supervision Award (2008). Professor Collins (Chebib) is a member of the Pharmaceutical Subcommittee of the Australian Drug Evaluation Committee for the Therapeutic Goods Administration and associate editor for the journal Amino Acids. She has served as served as Chair of the RACI Biomolecular Chemistry Division and RACI NSW Branch President. Professor Collins (Chebib) has developed a vigorous research program in the areas of medicinal chemistry and molecular pharmacology focusing on Cys-loop receptors, particularly GABA and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Her research focuses on developing subtype selective modulators along with identifying where they bind on the channels. Such studies are essential for drug discovery ventures and for delineating the role each subtype plays in brain physiology and pathophysiology.

Research Interest

GABA receptors, Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors