Dr. Suja Pillai is a Senior Lecturer in the Pathology discipline within the School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, at the University of Queensland. She obtained her Doctor of Philosophy from Griffith University, where she previously worked in Cancer Molecular Pathology at the School of Medicine. Throughout her career, Pillai has demonstrated exceptional commitment to teaching excellence as the pathology lead and coordinator for the Phase 1 Doctor of Medicine program. Her student-centered innovative teaching practices, including fostering student-staff partnerships, adapting to hybrid learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, and developing inclusive teaching models, have been recognized with several prestigious awards. These include the UQ Award for Teaching Excellence in 2022 for student-centred teaching, a Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning in the 2024 Australian Awards for University Teaching for her commitment to a learner-centred philosophy that inspires passion, creativity, and lifelong learning, and the 2018 John Pearn Medallion. She also holds a Higher Education Academy Fellowship.

Pillai's research focuses on the molecular pathogenesis of cancers, particularly cancer stem cell plasticity, therapy resistance, and the role of genetic factors like EPAS1 mutations in diseases such as colorectal cancer, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, phaeochromocytomas, and paragangliomas. Her contributions extend to breast cancer stem cells, microRNAs, long noncoding RNAs in triple-negative breast cancer, and estrogen receptors in colorectal carcinoma. Key publications include book chapters such as 'Plasticity of Cancer Stem Cell' (2023, Springer), 'The role of cancer stem cells in disease progression and therapy resistance' (2022, Bentham Science Publishers), and 'Introduction to pathology' (2025, Wiley-Blackwell); and journal articles like 'Identification of novel mutations and functional impacts of EPAS1 in colorectal cancer' (Cancer Medicine, 2021), 'Identification of novel mutations and expressions of EPAS1 in phaeochromocytomas and paragangliomas' (Genes, 2020), 'MicroRNAs, a promising target for breast cancer stem cells' (Molecular Diagnosis & Therapy, 2019), 'Roles of long noncoding RNA in triple-negative breast cancer' (Cancer Medicine, 2023), and 'Implications of estrogen and its receptors in colorectal carcinoma' (Cancer Medicine, 2023). With over 50 publications, she has co-edited special issues on pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma in Frontiers in Endocrinology (2021 and 2025). Pillai is available for higher degree research supervision and continues to influence biomedical education through works like 'Values and vision: the successful story of a student-staff partnership project' (International Journal for Students as Partners, 2024).

Professional Email: s.pillai@uq.edu.au