Prior to AU (created by the merging of UniSA and UA), I first joined the University of South Australia (UniSA) in 2014 as Chair of Cancer Biology and Research Professor of Cell Biology.
 
After earning my PhD from the University of Adelaide (UA) and completing postdoctoral training at the University of Queensland, I held Research Scientist positions at CSIRO (Geelong), RIKEN (Tsukuba, Japan) and the Cancer Institute (Tokyo, Japan). I later returned to Adelaide to establish a research program at the Hanson Centre for Cancer Research at IMVS (which eventually became SA Pathology). In 2009, together with Angel Lopez, I co-founded the Centre for Cancer Biology (CCB), which I co-directed for approximately 11 years.
My research has been continuously supported by national and international fellowships for over three decades. Trained as a biochemist, molecular biologist, and cell biologist, I am deeply passionate about science and discovery. My current research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of disease, particularly cancer. Our work has led to foundational discoveries in two major areas of contemporary biomedical sciences: 'Cell Death' and 'Ubiquitin-dependent protein modification'. Some key contributions include:
Identification of the Nedd genes, including one of the first mammalian caspases (Nedd2/caspase-2)
Discovery of the Nedd4 family of ubiquitin ligases
Discovery of Nedd8, a ubiquitin-like protein central to the now widely recognised process of Neddylation
Elucidation of the Drosophila cell death machinery, including the discovery of 4 of 7 caspases and both Bcl-2-like proteins
Identification of Ndfip1 and Ndfip2 as adaptors/regulators of ubiquitin ligases
Discovery of a novel autophagy-dependent cell death program during development
These findings have advanced our understanding of various human diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular conditions, and kidney disorders. Our research has been published in approximately 300 articles, cited over 73,000 times, with a current H-index of 104 (Google Scholar). I have delivered more than 250 invited talks and seminars at national and international forums. Over the course of my career, I’ve had the privilege of mentoring 30 postdoctoral scientists, 32 laboratory staff, and 28 PhD students.