Benjamin Hogan

Professor Benjamin Hogan is a Professor in the Department of Anatomy and Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne, and a Professor at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, where he is Co-Head of the Program in Organogenesis and Cancer. He heads the Vascular Cell and Developmental Biology laboratory, investigating the molecular control of lymphatic vessel development through lymphangiogenesis, blood-brain barrier formation, and cellular signaling in vascular development and disease. His research employs zebrafish and mouse genetics, single-cell genomics, forward genetic screens, CRISPR genome editing, transgenesis, and live imaging with biosensors. Hogan's work has identified novel genes and mechanisms regulating the VEGFC-VEGFR3 signaling pathway critical for lymphangiogenesis in development, cancer metastasis, and lymphedema.

Hogan completed his PhD at the Ludwig Institute, University of Melbourne, in 2005, studying myelopoiesis. From 2006 to 2009, he performed postdoctoral research at the Hubrecht Institute in the Netherlands, conducting the first forward genetic screens for lymphatic vessel development in zebrafish. He established his independent laboratory as group leader at the University of Queensland in 2010 before moving to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and University of Melbourne in 2019. He has held fellowships from EMBO, the Australian Research Council, and the National Health and Medical Research Council. In 2024, he became the first Australian to receive the North American Vascular Biology Organization Judah Folkman Award, recognizing mid-career contributions to vascular biology. Notable publications include 'Convergent evolution of scavenger cell development at brain borders' (Nature, 2026), 'Ticker sticker: Control of heart-vessel adhesion by cadherin-6' (Developmental Cell, 2026), 'Neural progenitor-derived Apelin controls tip cell behavior and vascular patterning' (Science Advances, 2024), 'The RNA helicase Ddx21 controls Vegfc-driven developmental lymphangiogenesis by balancing endothelial cell ribosome biogenesis and p53 function' (Nature Cell Biology, 2021), and 'Multiple cis-regulatory elements control prox1a expression in distinct lymphatic vascular beds' (Development, 2024).

Professional Email: benjamin.hogan@unimelb.edu.au