Rate My Professor Eileen McLaughlin

Professor Eileen McLaughlin serves as Honorary Professor in the School of Science at the University of Newcastle, where she was recruited in 2002 as a Lecturer in Biological Sciences and promoted to Professor in 2010. She obtained her PhD from the University of Bristol in 1993, focusing on the effect of cryopreservation on human spermatozoa. Her early career included research on male reproduction at the University of Bristol from 1987 to 1997, a Wellcome Trust-funded fellowship in the molecular genetics of male fertility from 1997 to 2000, lecturing in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and work at CSIRO Australia developing immunocontraceptives for pest control.

Professor McLaughlin's research interests encompass germ cell development, fertility regulation, the effects of environmental toxicants on reproduction, assisted reproduction, environmental toxicology, and developmental biology. She has produced over 170 peer-reviewed publications, garnering more than 10,000 citations and an h-index of 60, with contributions in prestigious journals including Cell, PNAS, The Lancet, and Cell Stem Cell. Notable publications include 'Significance of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species in the generation of oxidative stress in spermatozoa' (The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2008), 'Awakening the oocyte: controlling primordial follicle development' (Reproduction, 2009), 'Analysis of lipid peroxidation in human spermatozoa using BODIPY C11' (Molecular Human Reproduction, 2007), and 'Kit ligand and c-Kit have diverse roles during mammalian oogenesis and folliculogenesis' (Molecular Human Reproduction, 2006). She has supervised 31 PhD, Masters, and Honours students, secured over $76 million in research funding, and held leadership roles such as Chair of the British Andrology Society and Society for Reproductive Biology. Her honors include the British Fertility Society FSA Prize, RCRH Award for Research Excellence, Setchell Medal, and SRB Presidents Medal. She has served on grant review panels for ARC, NHMRC, and the Irish Research Council, and is a member of the ARC Medical Research Advisory Group.