Rate My Professor Azure Hermes

Associate Professor Azure Hermes, a proud Gimuy Walubara Yidinji woman from the Cairns region in Queensland, is the Deputy Director of the National Centre for Indigenous Genomics (NCIG) at the Australian National University (ANU), appointed to this role in 2020. She began at NCIG in 2015 as Community Engagement Coordinator, following 16 years in the Australian public service with positions at the Department of Defence, Department of Human Services, and the Commonwealth Ombudsman. Since 2021, she has co-led ANU’s Indigenous Health and Wellbeing Grand Challenge, managing a $10 million grant dedicated to improving health outcomes for Indigenous Australians. Affiliated with the John Curtin School of Medical Research, her work bridges community engagement and genomic science.

Hermes leads interdisciplinary research focused on partnering with Indigenous communities to advance health through ethical genomics practices. Prominent projects under her guidance include the Indigenous Australian Reference Genome, the development of culturally appropriate genomic resources, and the Galiwin’ku Repatriation Project, where she spearheaded the return of over 200 blood samples collected during a 1968-1969 typhoid outbreak on Elcho Island after extensive negotiations, including commissioning ceremonial burial poles for reconciliation unveiled at ANU in 2021. She oversees a collection of approximately 7,000 Indigenous blood samples, prioritizing community consent and repatriation. Hermes has attracted over $37 million in competitive research funding from the Medical Research Future Fund and National Health and Medical Research Council. Her scholarly contributions feature publications in leading journals, such as 'Indigenous Australian genomes show deep structure and rich novel variation' (Nature, 2023) and 'The landscape of genomic structural variation in Indigenous Australians' (Nature, 2023), alongside works on biobanking perspectives and ethical issues in Indigenous genomics research. She has presented 70 invited talks internationally and contributes to 10 advisory committees, including the Australian Department of Health’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group on Genomics and the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health. Recognized with the ANU Vice-Chancellor’s Award in 2019 for her repatriation efforts and the Traditional Knowledge Innovation Award from the Australian Academy of Science and Engineering in 2025 for innovative culturally safe resources, Hermes has established pioneering consultation standards, profoundly impacting ethical genomic research by centering Indigenous voices and decision-making.