School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment Executive

Professor Shaun Collin

Professor Shaun Collin is Dean of the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment and Co-Director of the AgriBioscience Centre. He previously held prestigious fellowships and academic positions in Canada, the United States, Germany and Australia. His research focuses on sensory neurobiology and the neural basis of behaviour in animals, particularly sharks and their relatives. He has published over 339 works, serves on the editorial boards of five international journals and sits on the Executive of the Australian Council of the Deans of Science.

Professor Robyn Murphy

Professor Robyn Murphy is Deputy Dean of the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment. Her background includes an undergraduate degree in Chemistry, an Honours degree in Exercise Biochemistry and a PhD in Muscle Biochemistry. Her leadership experience at La Trobe University includes Head of Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, Associate Head of School and Associate Dean Learning and Teaching. She is a Fellow of the International Union of Physiological Sciences and serves on the editorial boards of three international journals. Professor Murphy has published 120 research papers, with her research focusing on skeletal muscle biochemistry in health and disease, using exercise and disease models in humans and animals.

Professor Louise Lexis

Professor Louise Lexis is a Teaching Focused Professor and the Associate Dean Learning and Teaching in the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment. Her current research focuses on student employability, and the teaching and assessment of core concepts in human physiology. Professor Lexis serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, and is a member of the executive team leading a national project on the core concepts of human physiology. Her work in education has been recognised through multiple teaching awards, including at national and international levels.

Professor Karla Helbig

Professor Karla Helbig is Associate Dean, Research and Industry Engagement in the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment. Her research focuses on understanding the early host response to viral infections in humans and animals, particularly the role of interferon and lipids in the antiviral response. Her team is dedicated to developing next-generation antiviral therapeutics to combat viral infections in both humans and animals. Her work has consistently received funding from industry, government and cooperative research centres. Additionally, she serves on the editorial boards of two international virology journals and has held multiple executive positions within the Australasian Virology Society and the Australian Centre for Hepatitis Virology.

Professor Grant Drummond

Professor Grant Drummond is Associate Dean, Partnerships in the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, and Co-Director of the Centre for Cardiovascular Biology and Disease Research at La Trobe University. He obtained his PhD from the University of Melbourne in 1998 and then undertook postdoctoral training in the United States. He has been the recipient of numerous fellowships from organisations such as the American Heart Association, Monash University and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. His research focuses on understanding the roles of oxidative stress, the immune system, and gut dysbiosis in diseases such as atherosclerosis, hypertension and abdominal aortic aneurysm. He has published over 190 research articles, serves on the editorial board of four international journals, and holds positions on the committees of several national advocacy bodies for cardiovascular research.

Ms Kerri Smith

Ms Kerri Smith is the Senior School Manager in the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment. She is an experienced tertiary education leader and manager and a University General Misconduct Officer. She has practiced as a lawyer in the area of administrative review. Ms Smith oversees the School administrative and operational requirements and is the primary adviser to the Dean and the School Executive.

Professor Travis Beddoe

Professor Travis Beddoe is Head of the Department of Ecological, Plant and Animal Sciences in the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment. He is a multidisciplinary scientist who initially trained as a plant biochemist. He later studied molecular chaperones in mitochondrial targeting during his PhD and biophysical and structural biology in immune receptors as a postdoctoral researcher. He began his independent research career at Monash University and joined La Trobe University in 2014. His research focuses on livestock-pathogen interactions, field-based diagnostics, and the molecular understanding of glycans and glycan-binding proteins in disease pathogenesis and vaccine development.

Professor Elly Djouma

Professor Elly Djouma is Head of the Department of Microbiology, Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology in the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment. A neuropharmacologist by training, Elly’s research focus has been on understanding the neuroscience of addiction. As a passionate educator with over 20 years’ experience in research and tertiary education, she holds a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in the UK. Since taking on leadership roles in tertiary education, her interests now focus on pedagogical approaches to learning and teaching. She is a Board Director of the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists and serves as a Councilor for the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology Education Section.

Professor Mark Hulett

Professor Mark Hulett is Head of Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry in the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment. He has held various prestigious fellowships and academic positions, including at The University of Melbourne and the John Curtin School of Medical Research at the Australian National University. Professor Hulett joined La Trobe University in 2008. His research interests include inflammation, the tumour microenvironment, and the therapeutic application of host defence peptides. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed papers and holds eight patents. Prof Hulett is a passionate advocate for science and medical research having contributed to the sector through leadership positions such as President of the Australian Society for Medical Research.

Associate Professor Christine Hawkins

Associate Professor Christine Hawkins is Deputy Head of Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry in the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment. Her PhD at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research and subsequent postdoctoral work at the California Institute of Technology focused on defining molecular pathways that regulate cellular survival and death. She returned to Australia in 1999, working initially at the Royal Children’s Hospital and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, then moving to La Trobe University in 2006. Her research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms controlling cell death to improve anti-cancer therapies. Associate Professor Hawkins currently exploits this expertise in her Biomedicine teaching.

Professor Peter Meikle

Professor Peter Meikle is Head of Department, Cardiovascular Research Translation and Implementation in the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment. He also holds the positions of Head of the Metabolomics Laboratory and Co-Lead of the Obesity and Cardiometabolic Disease Program at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute. He holds a National health and Medical Research Council L3 Investigator research fellowship and is a Director of the Australian Cardiovascular Alliance.  His research has a focus on the dysregulation of lipid metabolism associated with metabolic diseases including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease, and its relationship to the pathogenesis of these disease states. This work is leading to new approaches to early diagnosis and risk assessment, and to the development of new lipid modulating therapies for chronic disease.