Rate My Professor Jon Hirst

Professor Jon Hirst holds the position of Professor in the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy (Pharmacy and Experimental Pharmacology) at the University of Newcastle, Australia, within the College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing. He earned his PhD in Physiology from Monash University and a Bachelor of Science with Honours from the University of Adelaide. His academic career includes a role as Senior Research Officer in the Department of Physiology at Monash University from 1994 to 2005, before joining the University of Newcastle in 2005 where he has developed a prominent research program.

Hirst's research interests encompass fetal and neonatal physiology, the endocrinology of pregnancy, birth, and preterm labour, employing animal models to advance therapies for preterm labour. Central to his work is the investigation of neurosteroids' role in pregnancy and fetal brain development. These steroids regulate arousal-like activity, suppress fetal brain activity for neuroprotection, and their downregulation by chronic stress or preterm birth increases brain injury risk. His team, comprising seven staff and students at the Mothers and Babies Research Centre, explores neurosteroid replacement therapies to mitigate these effects and improve neonatal outcomes. Collaborative projects include preventing preterm labour with Associate Professor Zakar and examining the uterine prorenin/renin receptor system with Professor E Lumbers. Hirst has led or contributed to numerous NHMRC-funded projects totaling over $8.4 million, such as "Neonatal therapy for improving myelination and long term outcome following preterm birth" (2021, $822,403), "Perinatal stress leads to neurosteroid deficits and adverse behavioural outcomes" (2015, $1,198,425), and "Replacement therapies for improving outcome following preterm birth" (2019, $917,949). Notable publications include "Neuropeptide Pathways Controlling the Timing of Birth" (2024), "Models of perinatal compromises in the guinea pig: Their use in showing the role of neurosteroids in pregnancy and the newborn" (2016), "Neurosteroid replacement therapy using tiagabine and zuranolone restores cerebellar neurodevelopment and reduces hyperactive behaviour following preterm birth" (2025), and over 140 peer-reviewed articles. He coordinates three pharmacology courses annually in Biomedical Science and Master of Pharmacy programs. Hirst serves on the NHMRC grant review panel, PSANZ abstract and student prize panels, and the Animal Ethics committee. He has delivered invited lectures, including at the 6th International Congress on Neuroendocrinology (2006) and the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand (1999).