Last month, Dr Murray graduated with her PhD in neuroscience at the University of Oxford and has now set foot back in her home country, ready to take on her next challenge. 

Dr Murray was born and raised in Launceston, but her research has taken her across the world.

She attended Glen Dhu Primary School before heading to Launceston Church Grammar School and the University of Tasmania.

Dr Murray was always a good student but it was at university she discovered her passion for neuroscience. 

She was the recipient of the Rhodes Scholarship in 2011 and set off to Oxford following a year of travelling the world solo. 

She then completed her master’s degree and eventually her PhD, being inspired by the brilliant minds surrounding her along the way. 

Dr Murray’s research into foetal brain growth and child development will go on to make a real difference to the lives of children. 

“Many people around the world don’t meet their potential because of early adversity and often that adversity isn’t any fault of anyone’s,” she said. 

“The earlier that we can identify those who might be at risk of not reaching their potential the better because we want to ensure that everyone gets the best start in life.” 

Dr Murray worked with children from across the globe to look at not only their differences, but the things they have in common. 

“For part of my research I had children from Kenya, India, Italy, Brazil and the United Kingdom because I really wanted to have a global focus,” she said. 

“It was focused on what are the commonalities between these children because children are children anywhere and I was thinking about how we can find a way to help them.” 

But Dr Murray achieved a lot more than academic success during her time away.

She was captain of the University of Oxford Netball Team and Junior Dean at University College, and part of a group that launched the Good Lad Initiative, a growing organisation aimed at tackling lad culture in sport.

Dr Murray has returned to live in Melbourne to take on a management consulting job and still has just as much passion for her career as when she left.