Prof Matthias Ernst initially trained as a postdoctoral fellow in the area of bone biology, before joining the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in Melbourne in 1990 where he extended his studies into molecular mechanisms underpinning the growth of cancer cells. In 1996 Matthias was recruited as Deputy Head for the Bone Biology Research Department at Novartis in Switzerland, and in 2009 appointed as Acting Director for Ludwig Institute’s Parkville Branch. In 2012, he moved to the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute to continue embracing genetic tools to understand molecular mechanism. Since Jan 2015, Matthias serves as the inaugural Scientific Director of the newly established Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute and the Head of the La Trobe University School of Cancer Medicine. The research from Matthias Ernst’s group has been cited more than 6000 times, and is the subject of several patents. Since returning to Melbourne, he has enjoyed uninterrupted funding from the Commonwealth’s National Health and Medical Research Council including a 2015 Principal Research Fellow award and two 5-year Program Grants.