Professor Arthur Shulkes, (BSc (hons), PhD, DSc) is a Professorial Fellow and the Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences (MDHS).

As Associate Dean (Research), Professor Shulkes represents the Faculty’s research interests, by facilitating the link between MDHS and other faculties and the central University, as well as fostering partnerships within and outside the University. This involves developing strategic research plans for the Faculty; being the interface with the University in determining whole of institution research and research training plans; integrating the research and research training activities of our affiliated medical research institutes and teaching hospitals. He also remains an active researcher with a laboratory based at the Department of Surgery, Austin Health studying the influence of growth factors in cancer.  As a basic scientist working in a clinical department, he is passionate about fostering the interaction between the basic scientist and the clinician scientist so that research findings can be translated to achieving better health of the community.

Professor Shulkes comes to the role of Associate Dean (Research) at a time where a number of important infrastructure projects are under way that will bring together researchers from different disciplines with shared research interests, and facilitate the translation of basic research into the clinic and improved health of the community.  These include the Parkville and Austin Neuroscience facilities, the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre and the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre.  “However our most important asset are our people and the Faculty has over 1400 outstanding researchers working within its Departments and Schools and a further 4000 honorary researchers, many of whom are in affiliated teaching hospitals and medical research institutes” explains Professor Shulkes.  “We also have more than 1000 Research Higher Degree students enrolled through the Faculty”.

The diversity of the Faculty’s research is reflected in the recently announced ERA 2010 results. The University of Melbourne performed exceptionally well, and the Faculty’s contribution to the University’s submission spanned all eight ERA assessed clusters. The Faculty is also proud of its rankings; the University of Melbourne ranks first in Australia in Pre-clinical and Health and in Life Sciences (Times Higher Education 2011), and first in Australia for Medicine, for Psychology and for Biological Sciences (QS 2011) .

To foster cross-disciplinary collaboration, the Faculty also has eight Research Domains, which represent broad disciplinary areas in which researchers with common interests are given the opportunity to meet and develop collaborations with people with complementary expertise. Research Domains reflect the strengths of the faculty in eight broad areas: Biosciences; Cancer; Cardiovascular; Clinical Sciences and Health Practice; Diabetes, Obesity and Endocrinology; Infection and Immunity; Neurosciences and Behavioural Sciences and Public Health Epidemiology and Health Services. As Associate Dean, (Research), Professor Shulkes supports the Research Domains as a vital tool for encouraging communication, cross-fertilisation of ideas and collaboration between basic researchers and clinicians.