Professor Simon Foote has been appointed the new Director of The John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR) in the ANU College of Medicine, Biology and Environment.
Professor Foote, currently Dean of the Australian School of Advanced Medicine at Macquarie University, will take up the role in October.
He will take over from Professor Chris Parish, who will spend more time in his research lab, having been in the role of Director since early 2013.
“I’m delighted that Simon will take up the role of Director of The John Curtin School,” said ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Young AO.
“With two Nobel Prizes to its credit The John Curtin School is without question one of the country’s top Medical Research centres and Simon’s record as an outstanding research leader makes him ideally suited to the role.
“The ANU is making a significant investment in the health and medical sciences and is looking forward to expanding its activities and impact in this area.
“I would like to pay tribute to Professor Parish for his leadership over the past 18 months.”
Professor Foote’s research interests are in the genetic control of susceptibility to disease, with particular focus on infectious disease.
"I am delighted to accept the offer of Director of The John Curtin School of Medical Research,” Professor Foote said.
“There are many excellent researchers in the school and I am looking forward to collaborating with them and future appointees to make the JCSMR one of the world's great medical research institutions."
Professor Foote was awarded an MBBS and PhD from the University of Melbourne and a DSc from the University of Tasmania.
He has worked at the Whitehead Institute at MIT in Massachusetts, as Division Head at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne, and as Director at the Menzies Research Institute at the University of Tasmania.
Professor Kiaran Kirk, Dean of the ANU College of Medicine, Biology and Environment said Professor Foote is one of Australia’s top medical research leaders and an outstanding scientist.
“He is an international authority on malaria and the relocation of Simon’s research group to The John Curtin School will consolidate and extend the ANU’s already very substantial activities in this important area of medical research,” Professor Kirk said.
For journalists
Media team contact
