Professor Douglas Hilton AO FAA FTSE FAHMS is the sixth director of Melbourne medical research institute WEHI, the inaugural head of the Brain Cancer Centre and the Lorenzo and Pamela Galli Chair in Medical Biology.

Doug champions fundamental science and its transformative impact on our lives. As a medical researcher, he and his team focus on how blood cells are produced, how they function, and how they “talk” to each other.

Doug is an inventor on more than 20 patent families, most licensed, and has led major collaborations with industry to translate his discoveries into better treatments for diseases like asthma. His research is also being developed to find medicines that help the body to better fight cancer.

Doug is a passionate advocate for health and medical research, diversity and inclusion, and gender equality in science. He serves on the board of Australians Investing In Women. He is a past president of the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI), serves on the Research Committee of The National Health and Medical Research Council and on the Australian Government Medical Research Advisory Board. His achievements and contributions to medical research have been recognised by awards including appointment as an Officer of the Order of Australia, and as a Fellow of the Australian Academies of Science; of Technological Sciences and Engineering; and of Health and Medical Sciences.