Dr. James Whisstock

Biography

Professor James Whisstock completed his PhD in bioinformatics and structural biology at the University of Cambridge. He arrived at Monash University in 1997, where he established himself as a leading structural biologist internationally. In January 2022, he was appointed Deputy Dean of Research for the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. Prior to this role, he held various prestigious fellowships including the ARC Australian Laureate Fellowship and the ARC Federation Fellowship, as well as an Honorary NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellowship. Previously, he served as the Scientific Head of EMBL Australia from 2017 to 2024 and as Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging from 2014 to 2021. In 2024, he was named a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. He has received several prestigious awards including the Science Minister’s Prize for Life Sciences and the Gottschalk Medal from the Australian Academy of Science. His research focuses on decoding the atomic structures of complex protein molecules, particularly membrane attack complex/perforin-like proteins, which play critical roles in immunity and developmental biology. His team also investigates proteases and inhibitors related to blood coagulation and wound remodeling. Over his career at Monash, he has contributed to the development of key technology platforms, including the establishment of the Monash Ramaciotti Cryo-Electron Microscopy platform.

Research Interests

Experience