Heather Lee

Dr. Heather Lee is an Associate Professor at the University of Newcastle, affiliated with the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy. Her research focuses on epigenetic mechanisms in cancer, particularly acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), leveraging single-cell sequencing technologies to study cellular heterogeneity and therapeutic resistance. She completed her PhD at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and postdoctoral training at the Babraham Institute (UK), where she pioneered single-cell epigenomics techniques.

Education: PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of New South Wales, BSc (Honours) in Biochemistry from the University of Sydney.

Research Interests: Epigenetic regulation in cancer, DNA methylation dynamics, single-cell genomic approaches, and translational therapies targeting epigenetic drivers of disease. She collaborates with clinical haematologists and patient advocates to bridge laboratory findings with clinical applications.

Awards: 2018 Metcalf Prize for Stem Cell Research, multiple grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council and Cancer Institute NSW.

Grants/Funding: NHMRC Research Fellowships, Cure Cancer Australia grants, and industry partnerships. Her team investigates cholesterol biosynthesis pathways in AML and develops biomarkers for treatment response.

Labs/Teams: Leads a research group at the Hunter Medical Research Institute, collaborating with the Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group and Calvary Mater Hospital (Newcastle).