Faculty welcomes new Associate Dean (Research) Professor Matthew Watt
Professor Matthew Watt, an internationally acclaimed expert in metabolic physiology, has been appointed as the new Associate Dean Research at the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences.
Currently serving as Head of the Department of Anatomy and Physiology at Melbourne School of Biomedical Sciences, Professor Watt brings a distinguished career in research, teaching, and academic leadership to this role. His significant contributions to understanding lipid metabolism and its role in metabolic diseases have been published in leading journals such as Nature Medicine and Cell Metabolism.
With a PhD in Human Movement from Deakin University, Professor Watt's research has garnered over 21,000 citations. He is ranked among the top 3 per cent of scientists globally and is Australia's leading expert in lipid metabolism. Throughout his career, he has secured over $22 million in competitive grant funding and has been awarded prestigious fellowships from the National Health and Medical Research Council.
Professor Watt's research vision is to unravel complex metabolic and endocrine regulation to facilitate the development of new therapies for obesity-related diseases, including type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and cancer. He established the open-access Melbourne Murine Metabolic Phenotyping Platform to advance Victoria's capacity for in vivo metabolic testing. and works closely with clinical and industry partners, such as CSL and Gilead Sciences, to advance the discoveries made in pre-clinical models towards solutions for patients.
Deputy Dean Professor Mike McGuckin reflected on the appointment: "Matt’s exceptional track record in research leadership and his ability to bridge basic science with clinical applications make him an ideal candidate to drive our research agenda forward."
Professor McGuckin added: "Matt is very keen to meet researchers across the Faculty and gain a deeper understanding of the needs and opportunities across the breadth of our research so please engage with him. I look forward to supporting Matt in this important role and ask everyone join me in welcoming him and wishing him success."
The Faculty extends its gratitude to Professor Alicia Spittle, who has returned to full-time research after being awarded an NHMRC L2 Investigator Grant. Professor Spittle served as Associate Dean Research since 2021. Additionally, the Faculty thanks Professor Amy Jordan for her leadership as Interim Associate Dean Research for six months last year during Professor Spittle's leave.
Professor Watt will commence his role as Associate Dean of Research on 3 March.