Prof Porrello FISHR is Director of Stem Cell Medicine, founding Co-Director of the Melbourne Centre for Cardiovascular Genomics and Regenerative Medicine, Node Director of the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine (reNEW) and Head of the Heart Regeneration Group at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (since 2017). He previously held appointments as founding Co-Director of the UQ Centre for Cardiac and Vascular Biology and Head of the Heart Regeneration Group at The University of Queensland (2012-2017). Over the course of his career, Prof Porrello has made important contributions to our understanding of mammalian heart regeneration and has pioneered the development of human cardiac organoids for drug discovery. This technology also serves as the foundational intellectual property for a biotechnology company, Dynomics, which he co-founded in 2020.

Prof Porrello’s research has been recognized by prestigious awards including the Metcalf Prize for Stem Cell Research (National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia), Heart Foundation Paul Korner Innovation Award, Heart Foundation Researcher of the Year, The Australian “100 innovators” list, and the A.K. McIntyre Medal (Australian Physiological Society). In 2024, Prof Porrello was elected as a Fellow of the International Society for Heart Research (FISHR), recognizing his leadership and global contributions to the cardiovascular field.