Rate My Professor Margaret Dunkley

Conjoint Professor Margaret Dunkley is an Honorary Professor in the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy within the Faculty of Health and Medicine at the University of Newcastle. She has worked within the University environment for 30 years, starting with NHMRC research grants as a chief investigator. Her research specializes in immune responses to infectious diseases at mucosal surfaces such as the lung, intestine, and reproductive tract, as well as the development of effective mucosal vaccines. As a member of the Vaccine Investigation and Vaccine Access (VIVA) group at the Hunter Medical Research Institute, she has collaborated extensively on vaccine-related projects. For the past 15 years, she has held positions in biotechnology companies with R&D units at the University, including Chief Scientist-Vaccines at VRI Biomedical Ltd (2001-2005) and currently Chief Scientific Officer at Hunter Immunology Ltd since 2004. She lectures to Biomedical Sciences students, supervises postgraduate students, and participates in research within the Discipline of Immunology and Microbiology. Professor Dunkley chairs the University of Newcastle Biosafety Committee and serves as a Vice Chancellor-nominated representative on the University OH&S Committee. In her industry role with Hunter Immunology Ltd, she oversees the R&D Unit located in the David Maddison Clinical Sciences Building, managing interactions with contractors for manufacturing, pre-clinical, and clinical research focused on vaccine development.

Professor Dunkley holds a PhD in Pathology from the University of Newcastle, a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Biochemistry and a Master of Science from the University of Melbourne, a Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma in Management (Technology Management) from Deakin University, and a Master of Business Administration (Technology Management) from La Trobe University. Key publications include the multi-site placebo-controlled randomised clinical trial on oral immunisation with inactivated non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (2016), combined Haemophilus influenzae infection and allergic airways disease study (2012), Haemophilus influenzae driving IL-17-mediated neutrophilic allergic airways disease (2011), and acute exacerbations in COPD controlled by oral immunization (2011). She has also authored chapters on cytotoxic T cells in gut associated lymphoid tissue and the role of antigen in T cell migration (1990).