Gary Hime

Professor Gary Hime serves as Head of the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience in the School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, at the University of Melbourne. He completed his PhD in 1993 at the University of Adelaide under Rob Saint, analyzing cell cycle mutants in Drosophila melanogaster. As an NHMRC CJ Martin Fellow, he conducted postdoctoral research in Professor Margaret Fuller's laboratory at Stanford University, studying mutants that affect spermatogenesis and beginning investigations into germline stem cell biology. Subsequently, he worked in David Bowtell’s laboratory at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute, examining oncogene function. Hime joined the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of Melbourne in 1999 as a teaching and research academic. He has held positions as Head of Department and Deputy Head of the Department of Anatomy and Physiology, leading to his current role in the renamed department. Additionally, he heads the Phenomics Australia Histopathology and Digital Slide Service Unit.

The Hime laboratory investigates stem cell genetics and employs Drosophila models of human disease to dissect genes regulating stem cell maintenance, differentiation, asymmetric division, and mitotic amplification. Research encompasses stem cell niches in the male germline and intestinal epithelium, with applications to colorectal and testicular cancer initiation, organ regeneration, and functional validation of human gene variants using genetic screening in Drosophila and conditional mouse knockouts. His influential publications include “Isolation of a candidate human telomerase catalytic subunit gene, which reveals complex splicing patterns in different cell types” (1997, Human Molecular Genetics, 835 citations), “Assembly of ring canals in the male germ line from structural components of the contractile ring” (1996, Journal of Cell Science, 321 citations), “Genetic dissection of sperm individualization in Drosophila melanogaster” (1998, Development, 257 citations), and “The RNA-binding protein Musashi is required intrinsically to maintain stem cell identity” (2006, PNAS, 152 citations). With over 3,785 citations on Google Scholar, Hime’s contributions have advanced understanding in developmental biology and stem cell research. He is also Principle Coordinator for Stem Cells in Development and Disease.

Professional Email: g.hime@unimelb.edu.au