Rate My Professor Phil Jobling

Associate Professor Phil Jobling serves in the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, specialising in Human Physiology, within the College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He earned his PhD from the University of Queensland, Bachelor of Science (Honours) and Master of Science from the University of Melbourne, and a Graduate Certificate in the Practice of Tertiary Teaching from the University of Newcastle. His research focuses on the structure and function of nerves controlling internal organs, encompassing sensory neurons that relay information about organ states and autonomic neurons that regulate organ function. Current investigations centre on the neural control of the female reproductive tract using animal models, utilising electrophysiology to record neuronal activity and histological techniques to examine neuron morphology and neurochemistry. This research seeks to elucidate neuron types critical for pelvic organ function and the chemical messengers facilitating neuronal communication, with implications for treating disorders such as incontinence, sexual dysfunction, and chronic pelvic pain arising from autonomic and sensory nervous system dysregulation.

Jobling's career includes his current appointment at the University of Newcastle, previous roles as Senior Research Officer on an NHMRC grant at Flinders University from 2000 to 2004, NHMRC Postdoctoral Fellow at Flinders University from 1996 to 2000, and American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Pittsburgh from 1993 to 1995. He was awarded the Australian Postdoctoral Fellowship in 1996. Key publications encompass book chapters such as 'Nervous System: Neurons and Glial Cells' (2022) and 'Visceral motoneurons' (2012), alongside journal articles including 'Tumor Neurobiology and the War of Nerves in Cancer' in Cancer Discovery (2019), 'Tumor innervation and clinical outcome in pancreatic cancer' in Scientific Reports (2021), 'Tumor innervation is triggered by endoplasmic reticulum stress' in Oncogene (2022), and 'Objective quantification of nerves in immunohistochemistry specimens of thyroid cancer utilising deep learning' in PLOS Computational Biology (2022). He has participated in numerous funded projects on nerve-cancer crosstalk in pancreatic, prostate, glioblastoma, and thyroid cancers, securing grants from NHMRC, Cancer Council NSW, Hunter Medical Research Institute, and other bodies. His scholarship garners over 3,200 citations on ResearchGate, exerting considerable influence in neuroscience, physiology, and oncology.