Eugenie Lumbers

Professor Lumbers graduated MBBS from University of Adelaide and was subsequently awarded a Doctorate in Medicine. She was the first woman to be awarded a CJ Martin Fellowship by the NMHRC and studied fetal physiology at the Nuffield Institute for Medical Research in Oxford. She established her own laboratory at UNSW 1974 and was funded by ARC, NHMRC, AKF and NHF. Professor Lumbers served on the Prime Minister’s Advisory Committee for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology. She has also served on Scientific and Advisory panels for the NHMRC, the NZ Health Research Council, the National Heart Foundation and Australian Research Council and been involved in the accreditation of medical schools by the Australian Medical Council. Eugenie was a member of the UNSW Council for 10 years and a board member of the NSW Division of the NHF. In 1999, Professor Lumbers became one of UNSW’s inaugural Scientia Professors and the first woman Scientia Professor at UNSW. In 1992 she was awarded a Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence. In 2002 she was elected to the Australian Academy of Science and received the Centenary Medal of Federation. In 2010 she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of NSW.
Professor Lumbers retired in 2003 and returned to research in 2006. In 2012 she was became a member of the Order of Australia (general division) She holds a fractional professorial position at University of Newcastle and positions at UNSW and University of Queensland and has NHMRC grants at the University of Newcastle and at University of Queensland.
Her research is broad-based having studied cardiovascular and fluid and electrolyte physiology in adult non-pregnant and pregnant animals, in the fetus and in the newborn. A major role interest is the roles of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS. She discovered inactive (pro) renin and with Brian Morris, showed that it was activated by proteases. Much of her work relates to development of the cardiovascular system and kidney including development of neural control of the circulation and programming. Professor Lumbers’ current interests are related to the role(s) of the renin-angiotensin system in human placentation and in pregnancy associated hypertension as well as programming of renal disease in human populations and in cardiac function in the preterm. She is also studying the role of the renin angiotensin system in cancer. She is married to William Forbes and has three children and five grandchildren.