Professor James Whisstock FAHMS completed his PhD in bioinformatics and structural biology at the University of Cambridge.  Since arriving at Monash University in 1997, James has established himself as one of the leading structural biologists internationally.

James was appointed as Deputy Dean Research in the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at Monash University in January 2022.  Prior to this role, he held an ARC Australian Laureate Fellowship, an ARC Federation Fellowship, and an Honorary NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellowship.  Previously, he was Scientific Head of EMBL Australia (2017-2024) and the Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging (2014-2021). 

In 2024, James was named a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. He has also been awarded the Science Minister’s Prize in Life Sciences (2006), the Commonwealth Health Minister’s Award (2008) and the Australian Academy of Science’s Gottschalk Medal (2010). 

James’ research focuses on decoding the atomic structures of complex protein molecules with a particular interest in membrane attack complex/perforin-like proteins, which play a critical role in immunity and developmental biology.  His team further investigates the proteases and their inhibitors that control blood coagulation and wound remodelling. 

Over the course of his career at Monash, James has contributed to the development of several key Monash technology platforms, including the establishment of the Monash Ramaciotti Cryo-Electron Microscopy platform.