Rate My Professor Christopher Scarlett

Professor Christopher Scarlett is Associate Dean (International) in the School of Environmental and Life Sciences at the University of Newcastle, part of the College of Engineering, Science and Environment. He earned his Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Science (Honours Class I) from the University of Newcastle, followed by a PhD from the University of Sydney Faculty of Medicine. During his doctoral research, he established a novel proteomic initiative to identify unique markers of pancreatic and bile duct cancers, creating diagnostic models for pancreatico-biliary malignancies. In 2007, he joined the Pancreatic Cancer Research Group at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research as a Senior Research Officer. There, he held an NHMRC Postdoctoral Training Fellowship (Peter Doherty) and was funded as a Cancer Institute NSW Early Career Development Fellow. His early postdoctoral research focused on signalling pathways in pancreatic cancer to identify novel therapeutic and chemopreventative strategies, as well as the role of bone marrow-derived cells in pancreatic development, injury, regeneration, and cancer.

In early 2012, Professor Scarlett joined the University of Newcastle in the School of Environmental and Life Sciences, where he drives the Pancreatic Cancer Research program. This includes investigating the efficacy of natural and synthetic compounds as novel therapeutics and personalized treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer using genomic sequence data from the Australian Pancreatic Cancer Genome Initiative within the International Cancer Genome Consortium. His research specializations encompass biochemistry, carcinogenesis, metastases, microbiology, mouse models, novel therapeutics, pancreatic cancer, and research methods, with a primary field of research in cancer therapy excluding chemotherapy and radiation therapy. He coordinates and teaches core courses in the Bachelor of Food Science and Human Nutrition program, including BIOL2011 Fundamentals of Biology and Biochemistry, FSHN2100 Microbiology, Food Safety and Immunology, and FSHN3100 Research Methods. Professor Scarlett has co-authored books such as 'Plant Bioactive Compounds for Pancreatic Cancer Prevention and Treatment' (2015) and 'Preface' (2014), along with chapters like 'Enzyme technology in the production of flavors and food additives' (2022) and numerous journal articles, including 'The Effect of Cold-Temperature Storage on Lipid Stability, Physicochemical Characteristics and Texture Profiles of Plant-Based Meat Analogues' (2026), 'Milk protein hydrolysates obtained with immobilized alcalase: Antioxidant properties of hydrolysates and milk fat stability' (2025), and 'Cell Progression and Survival Functions of Enzymes Secreted in Extracellular Vesicles Associated with Breast and Prostate Cancers' (2025). His work has been cited over 20,000 times, reflecting significant influence in pancreatic cancer research and related fields.