Professor Fabienne Mackay begins as SVI’s fifth Director

SVI today ​welcomes Professor Fabienne Mackay as our new Director, only the fifth person to lead the Institute in its 68-year history.

Professor Mackay joins SVI from QIMR Berghofer, where she served as Director and CEO. Her career has also included leadership roles at Monash University, where she was Head and Chair of the Department of Immunology, and at the University of Melbourne, where she led the School of Biomedical Sciences. She is internationally recognised for her contributions to medical science and her commitment to research that delivers real-world impact.

Professor Mackay’s appointment follows an extensive national and international search. She succeeds Professor Tom Kay, who has led SVI since 2002. Professor Kay will remain at the Institute, continuing to lead research into type 1 diabetes and the development of new therapies for the disease.

Professor Mackay takes the helm of an Institute whose researchers are driving discoveries to better understand, prevent and treat diseases that affect millions of people worldwide.