Rate My Professor John Skerritt

Professor John Skerritt AM serves as Enterprise Professor in Health Research Impact at the University of Melbourne's Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, where he advises academics and the university on the commercialisation and policy translation of health research discoveries. He earned his PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Sydney, where he was a University Medallist. Skerritt's academic interests encompass pharmacology, immunology, neuroscience, and regulatory science, with early research focusing on GABA receptors, wheat gluten proteins, and starch granule surface proteins relevant to food processing, agriculture, and celiac disease management. He has authored over 300 peer-reviewed publications, holds 10 patents, and successfully commercialised twelve in vitro diagnostic and protein fractionation products internationally. Key publications include 'Surface-Associated Proteins of Wheat Starch Granules: Suitability of Wheat Starch for Celiac Patients' (2009), 'Milestone review: GABA, from chemistry, conformations, ionotropic receptors, modulators, epilepsy, flavonoids and stress to neuro-nutraceuticals' (2024), and 'The Platform Technology Approach to mRNA Product Development and Regulation' (2024), reflecting his contributions to analytical biochemistry, neuropharmacology, and advanced therapeutics regulation.

Skerritt's distinguished career spans research, policy, and leadership. Following two decades of research applying physical, chemical, and immunological techniques to practical benefits in food and health sectors, he advanced to senior government positions. As Australia's most senior scientific leader in the Foreign Affairs portfolio, he oversaw implementation of more than $1 billion in collaborative scientific programs with regional partners. From approximately 2012 until April 2023, he was Deputy Secretary in the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care, concurrently heading the Therapeutic Goods Administration, where he managed regulation of therapeutic goods, gene technology, industrial chemicals, and drug controls. He was instrumental in Australia's COVID-19 pandemic response, including expedited vaccine approvals and strategic advice on building a domestic mRNA vaccines and medicines industry. His influence extends through board memberships at Medicines Australia, AusBiotech, and Wintermute Biomedical; chairing the Scientific Advisory Council of the UK-based Centre for Innovation in Regulatory Science; and serving on the board of Singapore's Centre for Regulatory Excellence. He holds Adjunct Professor status in the University of Sydney's Faculty of Medicine and Health, is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (elected 2005), and was appointed Member of the Order of Australia in 2024 for service to public health regulation and pandemic preparedness.