Outstanding UNSW psychology doctoral student Bronwyn Graham, 25, will travel to the US next year to undertake postdoctoral research into anxiety disorders, after being awarded a $25,000 Neurological Fellowship by the American Australian Association.

Bronwyn, who was profiled this week in the Sydney Morning Herald, will work at the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and at Massachusetts General Hospital.

"Bronwyn's project at Harvard examines possible sex differences in the neural circuitry underlying fear inhibition," says her UNSW supervisor, Professor Rick Richardson.

"Although women are much more likely to suffer from anxiety disorders than are men, we really don't know why that is the case. Bronwyn's work may shed some light on this important issue, as well as potentially lead to improvements in treatments for anxiety disorders."

Bronwyn submitted her PhD thesis last month and also combined her research work with clinical training, which she has also completed successfully. She has been practising as a psychologist since February.

Her doctoral research resulted in a number of published papers as lead author, including two in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.

Read more at the Faculty of Science website.

Contact: UNSW Faculty of Science media liaison | Bob Beale | 0411 705 435