Rate My Professor Kirsten Coupland

Dr Kirsten Coupland is a Senior Lecturer in Human Physiology in the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, part of the College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing at the University of Newcastle. She earned her Doctor of Philosophy, Bachelor of Science with Honours, and Diploma in Innovation Management from the University of New South Wales. Her professional journey includes a postdoctoral position at the Karolinska Institute's Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society in Sweden from 2015 to 2018, and a research assistant role at NeuRA's Ageing and Neurodegeneration program in Australia from 2010 to 2011. As HMRI Dalara Early Career Research Fellow, she leads innovative stroke research.

Coupland's research examines the composition and dynamics of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and interstitial fluid in brain health and diseases, particularly ischaemic stroke, where she is Australia's sole researcher dedicated to CSF's role in outcomes. Her investigations cover elevated intracranial pressure post-stroke, reduced CSF efflux, molecular mechanisms of hypothermia neuroprotection, CSF and brain proteome changes, statin protection, and peri-infarct depolarisations. She has secured over $2.16 million in funding, including NHMRC Ideas Grants as CIA and partnerships with CSL. Awards include the 2021 Cardiovascular Research Network Mid-career researcher award, HMRI Early Career Research Fellowship in Stroke (2017-2022), and several presentation prizes. Key publications include "Brain fluid physiology in ischaemic stroke; more than just oedema" (Fluids and Barriers of the CNS, 2025), "Short-duration hypothermia completed prior to reperfusion prevents intracranial pressure elevation following ischaemic stroke in rats" (Frontiers in Neurology, 2021), "Role of NOTCH3 Mutations in the Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy With Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy" (Stroke, 2018), and "Role of the Long Non-Coding RNA MAPT-AS1 in Regulation of Microtubule Associated Protein Tau (MAPT) Expression in Parkinson's Disease" (PLoS ONE, 2016). She teaches courses in pharmacology and experimental design and supervises postgraduate students, contributing to stroke therapy advancements through collaborations with international researchers and clinicians.