Members of the EMBL Australia Steering Committee
South australian immunogenomics cancer institute (saigenci) & UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE
JOse polo
Professor Jose M. Polo is an epigenetics, stem cell and reprogramming specialist who was appointed Scientific Head of EMBL Australia in 2025. As Director of the Adelaide Centre for Epigenetics (ACE) and Program Leader at SAiGENCI, his group probes how epigenetic landscapes define cell identity, fate change, and cancer, combining state-of-the-art genomic, cellular, and computational tools. Professor Polo chairs the EMBL Australia Steering Committee.
LISA BUTLER
Professor Lisa Butler is a leading cancer researcher at SAiGENCI and the University of Adelaide, and Director of the Solid Tumour Program at SAHMRI. Her work focuses on understanding the molecular drivers of prostate cancer progression and treatment resistance, with the goal of identifying new biomarkers and therapies. An advocate for translational research, she has held leadership roles with the Australian Prostate Cancer BioResource, the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and the ANZUP Cancer Trials Group.
Monash University
john carroll
Professor John Carroll is a reproductive biology expert whose research examines female reproduction, embryo development and infertility. He serves as Dean of Biomedical Sciences and Director of the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, bringing together over 100 research groups to advance translational work in fertility, oocyte development and the prevention of mitochondrial disease.
peter currie
Professor Peter Currie is a developmental evolutionary and stem cell biologist, and Director of the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI), Monash University. Internationally known for his work on muscle development and repair, his team uses zebrafish and other vertebrate models to investigate how muscle stem cells grow, regenerate and evolve, with implications for treating degenerative disease.
edwina mcglinn
Professor Edwina McGlinn is a developmental biologist and EMBL Australia alumna, currently leading a research group at the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI), Monash University, where she also serves as Head of Research Excellence and Mentorship. Her internationally recognised research focuses on the gene networks that drive embryonic growth and identity, building on postdoctoral work at Harvard Medical School and a PhD at the University of Queensland.
University of new south wales
till boecking
Professor Till Boecking leads the Molecular Machines Group at the University of New South Wales, within the EMBL Australia Node for Single Molecule Science. Using single-molecule fluorescence imaging, protein self-assembly systems and advanced biophysics, his research reveals how proteins deployed in host pathogen interactions build dynamic molecular machines.
izzy jayasinghe
Associate Professor Izzy Jayasinghe is a leading biophysicist based at UNSW Sydney, where she serves as Head of the Department of Molecular Medicine in the School of Biomedical Sciences. Her research combines advanced optical and nanotechnologies – particularly super-resolution microscopy – with biomedical cell biology to investigate the structural basis of nanoscale signalling within cells in health and in cardiac diseases.
Burnet institute
james beeson
Professor James Beeson is a public health physician and malaria immunologist who serves as Deputy Director of the Burnet Institute and heads the Malaria Immunity & Vaccines Research Group, as well as the Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies program of research and implementation activities on maternal and child health in Papua New Guinea. His research spans decades of field, clinical and translational studies in Africa and Asia, exploring the mechanisms of protective immunity to malaria and advancing vaccine development.
garvan institute of medical research
Robert brink
Professor Robert Brink is Scientific Director of Immune Biotherapies at the Garvan Institute, where he leads the B Cell Biology Laboratory investigating how B cells develop, survive, and generate antibody responses. His internationally recognised work harnesses gene-edited mouse models to uncover the mechanisms of immune tolerance and dysregulation in autoimmunity, cancer and allergy.
the australian national university
ross hannan
Professor Ross Hannan is a cancer biologist internationally recognised for pioneering work on ribosome biogenesis and nucleolar stress, whose insights have led to new treatment paradigms using RNA polymerase I inhibitors. He holds the Centenary Chair in Cancer Research at the John Curtin School of Medical Research (ANU), where his multi-disciplinary team integrates genomics, proteomics and molecular biology to translate basic discoveries into therapeutic strategies.
amee george
Associate Professor Amee George is a biomedical researcher at the Australian National University, where she leads a research program investigating cell growth pathways in disease, heads the ANU Centre for Therapeutic Discovery (ACTD), manages the National Therapeutic mRNA Platform and serves on Phenomics Australia’s Scientific Directors team. Her interdisciplinary work spans molecular and cell biology, pharmacology and translational medicine, with applications across a broad range of indications, including cancer and rare disorders.
observers
ryan lister (Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research / University of Western Australia)
Professor Ryan Lister is a genomic researcher based at the University of Western Australia, where he leads the Genome Biology and Genetic Diseases Program at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research. His research focuses on understanding gene regulation and genome function in health and disease, using pioneering high-throughput sequencing methodologies, advanced genomic technologies and computational approaches.
Denise doolan (institute for molecular bioscience at uq)
Professor Denise Doolan is a world-leading expert in malaria immunology, vaccinology and omics-based approaches for therapeutic and diagnostic development. She is Director of Research at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) at the University of Queensland and was previously Acting Director of the Australian Institute for Tropical Health and Medicine (AITHM) at James Cook University. She serves on a number of executive and advisory boards, including the Federal Government’s Australian Medical Research Advisory Board.