Mark Hulett

Professor and Head of Department, La Trobe University
Prof Hulett is the current Head of Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry at La Trobe University and has over 30 years of experience as a researcher in molecular immunology.

Prof Hulett completed his doctoral studies in 1994 at The University of Melbourne on immune cell receptors in inflammation and allergy. He was awarded an NHMRC Peter Doherty Postdoctoral Fellowship (1995-1998) to continue his work on immune receptors at the Austin Research Institute. Prof Hulett moved to the John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR) at The Australian National University in 1999 where he cloned the enzyme heparanase and described its important role in inflammatory disease and cancer. Following the awarding of a Viertel Senior Medical Research Fellowship in 2002, Prof Hulett established an independent laboratory at the JCSMR to study molecular aspects of immune and tumour cell migration. In 2008 Prof Hulett moved his research group to the Department of Biochemistry at La Trobe University. His current research interests include inflammation and the tumour microenvironment, as well as the mechanism of action and therapeutic application of host defense peptides. Prof Hulett’s research has a strong translational focus and he has collaborated with a number of biotechnology companies including Progen Industries Ltd and Hexima Ltd. He has published over 130 peer-reviewed papers that have attracted 9500+ citations, as well as 8 patents, and his research has been recognized with a number of prestigious awards including the Howard Florey Medal and a Tall Poppy Science Award. Prof Hulett is a passionate advocate for science and medical research having been a past-president of the Australian Society of Medical Research (2008) and national board director (2009-2019). He has previously held the positions of Research Director (2015-2016) and Deputy Director (2017-2019) of the La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science at La Trobe University. Prof Hulett is the current Head of Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry at La Trobe University (2020-present).