Rate My Professor Garron Dodd

Professor Garron Dodd is a distinguished neuroscientist serving as Professor in the Department of Anatomy and Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne. He leads the Metabolic Neuroscience Research Laboratory, where his research elucidates the neural mechanisms governing energy balance, appetite regulation, and glucose homeostasis, with a particular emphasis on insulin signaling defects in the hypothalamus underlying obesity and type 2 diabetes. Dodd earned his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom. His career includes postdoctoral research fellowships at the University of Manchester, Eli Lilly in the United States, and Monash University in Australia. Recruited to the University of Melbourne in 2019 as Senior Lecturer, he advanced to Associate Professor and recently to full Professor.

Dodd's laboratory utilizes advanced transgenic models, optogenetics, chemogenetics, and in vivo imaging to dissect hypothalamic neuronal circuits, glial interactions, hormone actions such as leptin and GLP-1, and pathological extracellular matrix remodeling. Landmark publications include 'Pathogenic hypothalamic extracellular matrix promotes metabolic dysfunction' (Nature, 2024), revealing how fibrosis traps hunger neurons; 'Insulin signaling in AgRP neurons regulates meal size to limit glucose excursions and insulin resistance' (Science Advances, 2021); and 'Insulin regulates POMC neuronal plasticity to control glucose metabolism' (eLife, 2018). His over 43 peer-reviewed papers in journals like Cell, Cell Metabolism, and EMBO Journal have accumulated more than 2,500 citations, with four articles ranking in the top 5% by Altmetric and two Faculty of 1000 recommendations. Achievements encompass a 2017 Australian patent (AU2017902239) for hypothalamic-targeted obesity therapies, the 2024 NHMRC Marshall and Warren Innovation Award for advancing type 2 diabetes treatments, and additional NHMRC Research Excellence Awards. As Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Gallant Bio, Dodd translates findings into novel therapeutics. He lectures to over 1,500 students annually on neuroscience, physiology, and metabolism, and provides expert commentary on weight-loss drugs including Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro.