Professor Iain Clarke awarded Order of Australia
Professor Iain Clarke, a Monash University scientist whose career began researching animal reproductive biology, has been awarded an Order of Australia in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
Professor Clarke was awarded a Member in the General Division (AM) for significant service to medicine in the field of endocrinology and neuroendocrinology, and to medical research into reproductive biology.
Professor Clarke has made a number of groundbreaking contributions across a wide range of fields: reproduction, animal behaviour, the pastoral industry, human health and clinical medicine.
True to his New Zealand farming heritage, Professor Clarke’s scientific career had its origins studying animal reproduction and behaviour, firstly at the Massey University in New Zealand (his country of birth) then in a PhD at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He moved to Melbourne and joined the then Prince Henry's Institute of Medical Research (PHI) as a post-doctoral fellow in 1981, rising through the ranks to Senior Principal Research Fellow in 1998, the year he became Honorary Professor in the Monash Department of Physiology. He left PHI in 2005 to head the Department, a position from which he retired at the end of 2016.
Professor Clarke’s main area of research is neuroendocrinology, which relates to the interaction between the nervous and hormonal systems. His focus for several decades was on the way the brain controls the female reproductive cycle. An elegant experiment using sheep (conducted in the early 1980s) went on to show that women who had difficulty ovulating would ovulate – and give birth to healthy babies – if they were given a shot of the hormone GnRH at regular intervals.
His principal focus expanded in the past 15 years, looking at the hypothalamus, its nervous system connections and how it influences hunger and satiety. Professor Clarke instigated the Monash Obesity and Diabetes Institute (MODI), one of the two largest groups in Australia working on obesity and diabetes. He also established the Victorian Obesity Coalition and the BASE (Be Active, Sleep, Eat) Centre at Monash, combining basic translational and clinical studies of obesity. He has been honoured by a number of awards and life memberships.
Professor Clarke, widely recognised for his leadership and research, has published more than 500 peer-reviewed scientific papers and book chapters, mentored and inspired secondary school and university students, and among other volunteer roles has educated the community on men’s health. He advises on infertility in dairy cows.
“Anyone who has interacted with Iain knows his commitment to the Department and Monash, and his advocacy for physiology research,” said Professor Michael Cowley, Head of the Physiology Department at the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI).
“He is a friend and an inspiration to me, and an excellent role model to young scientists,” Professor Cowley said.
Monash BDI Director Professor John Carrol also congratulated Professor Clarke on his award.
“Iain has made a fantastic contribution to Monash and in particular to his field of neuroendocrinology. He has acted as a mentor to many of the research leaders in the field. He also engages with schools across Victoria spreading the word about the brain and its role in reproductive biology,” Professor Carroll said.
Professor Clarke is among 15 academics from Monash University recognised in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours list for their outstanding contribution to Australian society through teaching, research, innovation and community leadership.
Click here to see the full Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
About the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
Committed to making the discoveries that will relieve the future burden of disease, the newly established Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute at Monash University brings together more than 120 internationally-renowned research teams. Our researchers are supported by world-class technology and infrastructure, and partner with industry, clinicians and researchers internationally to enhance lives through discovery.