Researcher biography

Professor Paul Colditz is a Chief Investigator of the CRE and member of the Pre-Clinical & Neuroprotection theme.

Professor Colditz is a practicing neonatologist, Director of the Perinatal Research Centre and Deputy Director of University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR). His research focuses on clinically important perinatal health problems and translation to clinical practice. It includes investigations relating to seizure identification and prevention, brain injury and neuroprotection, neural plasticity, stem cell therapies, structure/function relationships in brain development using brain MRI and EEG, body composition, stillbirth, congenital malformations and pathways to improving neurodevelopmental outcomes. He has a large multidisciplinary national and international network of collaborations, including an ongoing successful collaboration with the University of Qatar, resulting in grants >$9M in the last 5 years for perinatal biomedical engineering research. 

Professor Colditz was the lead investigator on competitive grants for the acquisition of the southern hemisphere’s first neonatal MRI compatible incubator. He has established a multidisciplinary, productive, collaborative, national and international network with paediatricians, neuroscientists, engineers, psychologists and obstetricians. Professor Colditz has been granted over AUD$50m in project, equipment and fellowship funding for research, including being Chief Investigator on 19 NHMRC grants, an NHMRC Practitioner Fellowship, 3 ARC grants and 6 International grants. Professor Colditz’s intellectual leadership is recognised at local, state and national levels: e.g. Chair QLD Clinician Scientists Assoc., senior roles in the Division of Paediatrics and Child Health within the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (President-elect, Chair of Research Committee, member of Council, member of Executive) as well as in the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (Director/board member RACP, Chair, College Research Committee,),  member QLD Maternal and Perinatal Quality Council, Chair QLD Congenital Malformations Committee, and Lead, State Clinical Guideline on Neonatal Seizures. His experience in knowledge application includes commercialization and the application of research knowledge to clinical practice and health policy. He holds an Australian patent (2006 Approved 2006906381) for a method for detecting EEG seizures in the newborn.

Professor Colditz has published >200 peer-reviewed publications (65 in the past 5 years), over 800 conference abstract/proceedings, 3 books and 6 book chapters. Professor Colditz is advisor to 13 current PhDs in the fields of basic science, engineering, medicine and allied health and has supervised 25 to completion. He is mentor to six current Postdoctoral fellows. Professor Colditz supervises RHD students across medicine, nursing, allied health, engineering and maths/physics from Vietnam, China, Iran, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, UK, US, Holland and Germany. He has received the highest award for research productivity from both the University of Queensland and the RBWH. Prof Colditz is a board member of the national Red Nose Foundation and had close involvement in the re-branding from SIDS & Kids. He has a long standing association with the Lions Medical Research Foundation and in 2013 was awarded the Ray Phippard Award for services to medical research by the LMRF. In 2013 he was awarded life membership of SIDS & Kids (QLD).