Sam is a Medical Research Fellow in the Blood Cancer Therapeutics laboratory of Assoc.Prof Jake Shortt at the Department of Medicine, Monash University . Trained as an immunopathologist, he has become an expert in the analysis and application of antibody and small molecule based therepeutics against aggressive brain cancer and liver cancer and how cancers can resist these treatments. He is now applying his extensive expertise in antibody-receptor and therapeutics analysis to the discovery of new targets for Burkitt's lymphoma and liver cancer to better treat these diseases in the clinic.

Sam is interested in anything related to antibody-based or small molecule based inhibition of targets in several different kinds of cancer including blood and liver cancers. His primary interest is two-fold and stems from his accumulated expertise in oncology research - 1) to discover new druggable therapeutic targets for improved treatment and response in patients with Burkitt's lymphoma and 2) to discover new and effective combinations of therapies to better treat the causes of liver cancer, resulting in its prevention. 

Sam is an enthusiastic teacher and mentor, having supervised three past honours students who have all obtained H1 scores for their theses and have been awarded prizes, such as the Nairn Prize, for top interdepartmental thesis marks. He is also the current supervisor of one PhD student and has mentored several others that have come through the laboratory. Highly attentive and supportive of his student's education and progress, he is passionate about his mission to better treat and eradicate cancer and believes strongly in passing this onto his students so that they may get the best education possible and obtain the same enthusiasm for cancer research.