Domain leaders

Biology

Professor David James FAA

Professor David James is the Leonard P. Ullmann Chair of Metabolic Systems Biology at the Charles Perkins Centre. He is also a Professor in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences and School of Medicine at the University of Sydney.

David undertook his PhD at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and his undergraduate degree and Honours at the University of New South Wales. David has made major contributions to our understanding of insulin action. In the late 1980s he published a series of journal articles in Nature describing the identification and characterization of the insulin-responsive glucose transporter GLUT4. He then focused his efforts on unveiling the cellular and molecular control of insulin-stimulated glucose transport. David has also made contributions in the area of SNARE proteins, signal transduction, and, more recently, in systems biology.

Population

Professor Natasha Nassar

Professor Natasha Nassar is a perinatal epidemiologist and the newly appointed Financial Markets Foundation for Children Chair in Translational Childhood Medicine, based at the Charles Perkins Centre Westmead and the University of Sydney Children’s Hospital Westmead Clinical School. Her work focuses on maternal, pregnancy and neonatal risk factors and their impact on infant and child health and development. As the Charles Perkins Centre Population Domain leader, she works to foster new and existing collaborations within the University's vast network of faculties, institutes and hospitals already conducting research in this area.

Society and Environment

Professor Paul Griffiths 

Professor Paul Griffiths is a philosopher of science with a particular research interest in biology and psychology. He leads the domain on society and environment, integrating knowledge about the biological bases of diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease within wider contexts. These wider contexts include: human psychology, historical precedents, social and cultural norms, food production, and the built environment.

Solutions

Professor Stephen Colagiuri

Professor Stephen Colagiuri is Professor of Metabolic Health and Executive Director of The Boden Institute at the University of Sydney. He is also Co-Director of the World Health Organization’s Collaborating Centre on Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity. His research interests include: the implementation of evidence-based guidelines, cardiometabolic and vascular risk assessment, diabetes screening and prevention, the economic aspects of diabetes and obesity, and diabetes care delivery.