Science advisory panel

The Scientific Advisory Board assesses the performance and activities to ensure the MWC remains focused on stated scientific goals and continues to perform at internationally recognised levels of excellence. The Panel is composed of six internationally recognised scientists with expertise in a range disciplines directly applicable to the activities of the MWC:

Prof. Peter Andrews AO, PhD, FTSE played a leading role in pioneering the discipline of drug design in Australia, establishing research laboratories at the Australian National University, Victorian College of Pharmacy, Bond University and the University of Queensland. He served as Co-director of the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at the University of Queensland 2000-2002, and CEO of its commercialisation arm IMBcom Pty Ltd, and currently chairs the Queensland State Government’s Biotechnology Advisory Council.	Prof. Suzanne Corey AC MSc Melb PhD Cantab Hon DSc Syd Hon DSc Oxon FAA FRS is immediate past Director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, Australia's foremost medical research institute. Professor Corey has enjoyed an illustrious research career in the field of molecular genetics and the control of apoptosis. She is a Fellow of both the Royal Society (London) and the National Academy of Sciences (USA)
Prof. Sir Tom Blundell, FRS is currently Professor of Biochemistry at Cambridge University, UK, where his research speciality is in structural biology, bioinformatics and structurebased drug design. He has received many international honours for his scientific achievements in these fields. In addition he served as Director General/Chief Executive of the UK Research Councils 1991-1996, is a consultant to a number of international pharmaceutical companies, and is cofounder of Astex Technology Ltd (UK).	Prof. Dick Wettenhall, PhD, is a Professor at the University of Melbourne and the immediate past Director of Bio21, the University's biotechnology incubator. Professor Wettenhall has had a celebrated career in the field of medical biochemistry, phospholipids and cancer.He brings a wealth of experience in research leadership and biotechnology development.
Dr. Jim Watson, PhD, FRSN Z was co-founder of Genesis Research and Development Ltd. in 1994 and currently holds the position of Founder Scientist and is a Genesis Board Member. He is one of New Zealand’s leading molecular biologists, having previously been Professor of Molecular Medicine at the University of Auckland, following a research career that included posts at Syntex Corp., the Salk Institute, and the University of California, Irvine. He has been a Director of FRST, and is currently president of the Royal Society of New Zealand, a member of the government’s Growth and Innovation Advisory Board and a trustee of the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research.	Dr. Jilly Evans PhD is a founding member of Amira Pharmaceuticals a biopharmaceutical company in San Diego. A New Zealander, she is now one of the world’s leading researchers in the development of therapies for cancer and arthritis. Her current research focuses on the so-called “orphan” receptors that have been discovered from genome sequencing, which may offer novel drug development targets. Her knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry and her passion for the promotion of science will provide very important input into the core missions of the CMB.
Prof. Shankar Subramanian, PhD, is a Professor of Bioengineering, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Medicine and Nano Engineering. He is currently the Chair of the Bioengineering Department at the University of California at San Diego. He holds the inaugural Joan and Irwin Jacobs Endowed Chair in Bioengineering and Systems Biology. He was the Founding Director of the Bioinformatics Graduate Program at the University of California at San Diego. He also has adjunct Professorships at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the San Diego Supercomputer Center. He is also a Guest Professor at the Center for Molecular Biology and Neuroscience at the University of Oslo in Norway and Professor at the Center for Cardiovascular Bioinformatics and Modeling at Johns Hopkins University. Prior to moving to UC San Diego, Dr. Subramaniam was a Professor of Biophysics, Biochemistry, Molecular and Integrative Physiology, Chemical Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). He was the Director of the Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications and the Co-Director of the W.M. Keck Center for Comparative and Functional Genomics at UIUC. He is a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and is a recipient of Smithsonian Foundation and Association of Laboratory Automation Awards and his research work is described below. In 2002 he received the Genome Technology All Star Award. In 2008 he was awarded the Faculty Excellence in Research Award at the University of California at San Diego. His research spans several areas of bioinformatics and systems biology.