I am currently employed as Deputy Director of the UQ Centre for Clinical Reserach.

I have extensive executive leadership and management experience in the academic, philanthropic and biotechnology industry sectors. My academic qualifications include a PhD (in comparative endocrinology); a Master of Health Administration (in change management) and a Graduate Diploma in Managing. In addition, I have completed training with the Australian Institute of Company Directors (Course for Company Directors and Directors of Non-for-Profit Organisation Course)

Research Leadership and Achievements

My research team is rapidly developing an internationally recognised leadership in exosomal signaling and the role of endogenous nanoparticles in health and disease. I have established a regulatory agency-accredited research facility that conforms to ISO standards (ISO17025 and 13185) to isolate, characterize and elucidate the role of human exosomes and to evaluate their clinical utility as biomarkers of disease and therapeutic interventions. In addition, I have more than a decade of experience within the biotechnology sector (both private and public) in the development, evaluation and implementation on diagnostics tests.

My industry experience includes being co-founder of biotechnology company HealthLinx, (HTX, 2003), Executive Director (2006), General Manager Science and Operations (2007) and Chairman (2008-2013). This company listed on the ASX in 2006 as a diagnostic company that focuses on the development and delivery of in vitro diagnostics and multivariate index assays. I have also served as a member of Clinical and Scientific Advisory Committees of ASX-listed companies and as a member of the Technical and Regulatory Standing Committee of IVD Australia (2010-2012).

I have published over 230 peer-reviewed scientific publications. I have held continuous appointment as a Research Only Academic within the NHMRC Career Awards Program for over 20 years. I have supervised 53 postgraduate students (20 Honours; 4 Masters; 7 MDs, 22 PhDs) to successful completion and have mentored 12 postdoctoral fellows. My PhD and MD students have established successful careers in academic research (58%), industry (14%) or in clinical practice (28%). Those continuing in academic research have established themselves as independent career researchers at, including Professorial and A/ Professorial appointments and a Director of Research Services at national Universities, and research fellows at Harvard Medical School Boston, University of Melbourne, Baker IDI, and the Lundenfeld Institute Mt Sinai Hospital. Those in clinical practice occupy influential positions, including: Clinical Director, Emergency Department; Heads of Gynaecology and Obstetrics unit at tertiary referral hospitals, and membership of the Consultative Council on Obstetric and Paediatric Mortality and Morbidity.