New director for Maurice Wilkins Centre
8 April 2024
Professor David Grattan has been appointed director of the Maurice Wilkins Centre (MWC) for Molecular Biodiscovery, New Zealand’s Centre of Research Excellence targeting targeting serious human disease.
MWC links biomedical expertise throughout the country to pursue precision therapy strategies to improve cancer treatment, identify pathways to new treatments for diabetes and metabolic disease, and develop strategies to prevent, detect, and treat serious infectious diseases.
Prior to commencing as director, Prof Grattan held the role of director of the Centre for Neuroendocrinology at the University of Otago from 2018–2023.
Prof Grattan is a neuroscientist with a specific interest in neuroendocrinology which explores the interactions between the body’s brain and its hormones. He joined the Centre in 2009 as associate investigator researching metabolic health and investigating the biological basis for obesity and metabolic disease and has been a principal investigator since 2014.
Professor Grattan is currently an Associate Editor at Endocrinology, the flagship journal of the US Endocrine Society. He also held the position of the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Neuroendocrinology, one of the top specialist journals in this field for five years between 2009–2014. He has served as President of the New Zealand Society of Endocrinology and was the inaugural President of Hypothalamic Neuroscience and Neuroendocrinology, Australasia. He has published over 180 papers in the field of neuroendocrinology.
Professor Grattan replaces the previous director Professor Greg Cook who steered the MWC since 2020. Professor Cook continues with the MWC as a principal investigator.