Dr Kieran Stockton

Dr Kieran Stockton is a Senior Research Fellow and medicinal chemist with the Australian Translational Medicinal Chemistry Facility (ATMCF) at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS). With expertise spanning medicinal chemistry, drug discovery and translational research, he has built a career focused on advancing innovative therapeutic concepts from early-stage discovery through to clinical development. His work combines deep scientific knowledge with extensive experience working at the interface of academia, biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry.

Following the completion of his PhD, Dr Stockton joined Australian biotechnology company Advanced Molecular Technologies as a Senior Chemist, where he spent five years delivering commercial research programs for a range of industry partners. During this time, he contributed to projects spanning water-soluble prodrugs, fluorescent drug conjugates and novel cancer therapeutics. His inventive contributions were instrumental in the development of a photodynamic therapy program for solid tumours that has subsequently progressed to Phase I clinical evaluation.

Since joining the ATMCF in 2021, Dr Stockton has led medicinal chemistry programs across several therapeutic areas, including neuroinflammation, stroke and progressive multiple sclerosis. He currently leads medicinal chemistry efforts on an industry-backed program supported by BioCurate and the NHMRC/Australian Economic Accelerator, focused on developing a first-in-class pro-resolving GPCR-targeted therapeutic with potential applications across a range of inflammatory diseases, including pulmonary arterial hypertension and kidney fibrosis. Over the past four years, he has played a key role in securing more than AUD $1.7 million in competitive funding and has advanced into a senior leadership position within the facility, overseeing multiple staff and project teams.

Dr Stockton works closely with industry and international partners to progress drug discovery programs towards clinical translation. His collaborations include chemistry oversight with GMP manufacturer Sai Life, assay development partnerships with o2h, and medicinal chemistry programs involving Pharmaron and Novick Biosciences. He also holds a joint appointment with the Children’s Cancer Institute (CCI) and UNSW, where he supports translational paediatric oncology research, fosters inter-institutional collaborations and provides strategic medicinal chemistry expertise to help accelerate the development of new therapies for childhood cancers.