Board of directors

Dr Edgar has extensive experience in financial services, including 25 years at ANZ Bank where he retired as deputy chief executive officer.
Special responsibilities: board chair

Professor Mitchell is Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at Monash University, having trained as a physician scientist specialising in clinical haematology. She was the first woman to be appointed Dean of Medicine of a Go8 University in Australia. Her research group has focused on the molecular drivers of human cancer. Prof Mitchell is an inductee on the Victorian Honour Roll of Women and a recipient of the Lemberg Medal. She is an Order of Australia award recipient for distinguished service to medicine in the field of haematology, to medical education and research, and to academic leadership. Prof Mitchell is a member of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. She is council chair, Monash Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre and is a director on the boards of Alfred Health and The Sylvia and Charles Viertel Charitable Foundation Medical Advisory Board.

Professor Anderson is an emeritus professor at Monash University, and Chair of Global Biodata Coalition. He was previously secretary-general of the international organisation Human Frontier Science Program, as well as CEO of the NHMRC and a member of numerous national and international medical research bodies. He has held academic and research positions at Monash University, Baker Medical Research Institute, University of Sydney and Harvard Medical School.

Mr Leyden is managing director and CEO of Lazard Australia Pty Ltd, an independent corporate advisory firm. He has worked in the investment banking industry in Australia for over 30 years and has experience across a range of industries, including healthcare, energy, infrastructure, resources and financial services.
Special responsibilities: chair, Investment Committee

Mr Dodd is a senior partner at PwC and has over 30 years of accounting and finance experience. He provides services to clients in the ASX100 across mining, infrastructure, technology and many other industries. He spent two years working in the UK and shorter stints in Asia and Africa. He is also a director on the boards of Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation and Loreto Ministries.
Special responsibilities: chair, Finance and Audit Committee 

Mr Ou was appointed executive director of Financial Resources Management Division at Monash University in 2018 and leads a team responsible for developing and managing Monash’s budget and monitoring the university’s financial performance. He joined Monash University in 2001 and has held various middle and senior management roles within the Finance portfolio. He has extensive experience in financial management, is a certified practicing accountant with CPA Australia and holds an MBA from Monash University.
Special responsibilities: Finance and Audit Committee member

Professor Hennessy is a vice chancellor’s professorial fellow at Monash University and sits on many private sector and for-purpose boards as a non-executive director, chair and strategic advisor. Before entering parliament Prof Hennessy practised as a private sector solicitor and was a senior advisor to former Victorian premier Steve Bracks. She holds a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts from Monash University as well as a Master of Public and International Law from the University of Melbourne. She is the ambassador for The McKinnon Prize in Political Leadership and chair of the Monash Women’s Health Alliance and Wellness Infrastructure.

Professor Mike Ryan is the Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Senior Vice-President at Monash University, providing leadership, direction and advancing the University’s research agenda. Prior to this appointment, Professor Ryan was Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) at Monash.

Professor Ryan is an award-winning research leader with a background in biochemistry. He heads the Mitochondrial Biology and Disease Laboratory at Monash University’s Biomedical Discovery Institute, with funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC), National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) and the Mito Foundation. His research seeks to understand mitochondrial disease pathogenesis and to contribute to the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cures of mitochondrial disorders.

Professor Ryan is a member of the Board for the Mito Foundation and is Chair of the Scientific and Medical Advisory Panel. He also Chairs the Research Grant panels for the International Human Frontiers Science Program Organisation (Strasbourg).

He was President of the Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and was awarded the Roche medal as well as the prestigious Lemberg Medal in 2023.

He has published extensively in top-tier publications including Nature and Science, and has served as a member on a number of editorial boards.

Before coming to Monash, Professor Ryan was Head of the Department of Biochemistry at La Trobe University, and was an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the University of Freiburg, Germany. He holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) and PhD in Biochemistry from La Trobe University.

Mr Merriel is a certified practicing accountant (CPA) with over 40 years of experience working in medical research (Hudson Institute of Medical Research and Baker Institute), large public healthcare services (Melbourne Health and Southern Health) and commercial organisations (Pacific Dunlop and Deloitte Consulting). He has been a director of two Venture Capital Funds and a director and company secretary of several biotechnology focused medical research institute spin off companies. He is non-executive director of Invion Limited (ASX:IVX).
Special responsibilities: Finance and Audit Committee secretary, Investment Committee member, Intellectual Property and Commercialisation Committee secretary