I knew I wanted to be a scientist when… as an honours student at WEHI, the FDA approved venetoclax, a cancer drug based on a groundbreaking research discovery at WEHI. Attending WEHI symposiums on BCL-2 (a family of proteins that regulate cell death) and the drug’s development, I fell in love with bridging scientific research and medicine.
I love being a scientist at WEHI because… of the phenomenal collaborative atmosphere and the opportunity to work with people who have a diversity of knowledge and experience. You’re continuously exposed to a wide array of ideas and have opportunities to ask challenging and creative questions.
The thing that gets me out of bed in the morning is… the opportunity to make an impact on patients’ lives in both medicine and science. It’s a tremendous privilege to be involved providing care to patients, and pursuing lab discoveries that will hopefully benefit many others.
What I love about immunology is… the enormous complexity of the field. It has been studied for many decades, however it feels like we’re only at the beginning. There’s enormous potential in further exploring the immune system’s functions and harnessing this knowledge to enhance human health.
One of the coolest things I’ve been able to do as a scientist is… a clinical and scientific rotation at the National Institutes of Health in the US, a leading centre for immunological gene therapy and transplants. I learnt about their gene therapy trials and met patients undergoing pioneering treatments. To be a part of this incredibly rich and exciting environment and focus on my interests was amazing.
One of the biggest challenges I’ve overcome was… being one of the first students at the University of Melbourne to do an intercalated medical degree and PhD in research and medicine. It was put together with some great support from former WEHI director Professor Doug Hilton AO and previous head of the medical school, Professor Geoff McColl. This type of degree didn’t exist when I started out, so carving out the path was a big time commitment and challenging to navigate.
The most inspiring person I’ve met at WEHI is… Professor Phil Hodgkin, who was my honours supervisor and subsequently my PhD supervisor. He presented a captivating and completely unique perspective on how to think about major problems in immunology and just got me hooked.
For me, collaboration means… everything. Our work wouldn’t be possible without the collective efforts of many scientists and clinicians trying to transform ideas from the lab into advances for patients.
When I’m not in the lab, I like… going with my wife to restaurants. I’m a really big fan of Melbourne’s food scene, and the never-ending list of new places to try. We also love traveling and just had an incredible trip to Exmouth to see the whale sharks.
