Heather Murray

Dr. Heather Murray is a Cancer Institute NSW Early Career Research Fellow at the University of Newcastle, affiliated with the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy. She holds dual roles as a Lecturer and Postdoctoral Researcher, focusing on proteomics and phosphoproteomics to uncover therapeutic targets in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Her work combines genomic, proteomic, and clinical approaches to address treatment resistance and precision medicine in blood cancers.

Education: PhD in Medical Biochemistry (University of Newcastle, 2020), MPhil, BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Sciences, and BSc in Biological Sciences, all from the University of Newcastle.

Research Interests: Proteomic characterization of leukemia subtypes, DNA repair mechanisms, and drug resistance pathways. Her lab uses phosphoproteomics to identify synergistic drug combinations targeting oncogenic pathways like FLT3 and KIT mutations.

Key Collaborations: Works with clinicians like Associate Professor Anoop Enjeti and researchers at Hunter Medical Research Institute. Partnerships include institutions like the University of Southern Denmark and QIMR Berghofer.

Grants & Funding: Secured over $2M in funding, including a 2022 Cancer Institute NSW Fellowship, BarbeCURE grants, and philanthropic support from organizations like the McDonald Jones Charitable Foundation.

Supervision: Mentors 6 current PhD students on topics like venetoclax resistance, breast cancer biomarkers, and ex vivo AML models. Supervision history includes 6 completed Honours projects.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Molecular Oncology group under Associate Professor Nikki Verrills. Member of the HMRI Precision Medicine Program and University of Newcastle ECR committees.