Host

Dr. Shalin Naik (PhD, BSc) has achieved some of the highest honours in his field of immunology and developmental biology. After his early work as a research assistant in the UK, he did his PhD in Melbourne studying dendritic cells, the "James Bond" of the immune system. He spent six years in Amsterdam working on stem cells, in between hanging out in some of the coolest cities in Europe. He's a recipient of the Victorian Government's Premier's Commendation for Medical Research, was awarded Young Tall Poppy of the Year by the Australian Institute of Policy and Science and has published in some of the top scientific journals. He currently runs a cutting-edge stem cell research laboratory at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne, is a regular speaker on the international circuit, is a member of major international scientific bodies, and is known to break out in song at friends' weddings, work parties or when the mood takes him.