John Schjenken

Dr John Schjenken is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Newcastle's School of Environmental and Life Sciences within the College of Engineering, Science and Environment. He directs the Hunter Medical Research Institute's Infertility and Reproduction Research Program. His research focuses on male contributions to fertility, particularly the role of seminal fluid components and extracellular vesicles in conception and pregnancy outcomes. He has published extensively in journals like Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and Communications Biology, with over 1,600 citations and an H-index of 24.

Education: PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Newcastle.

Research Interests: Male infertility mechanisms, immune regulation at conception, paternal environmental influences, extracellular vesicle biology, and translational research to improve fertility diagnostics and therapies. Current projects include studying seminal vesicle secretions' impact on fertility and how sperm modulate maternal immunity.

Awards: 2021 Rising Star in Reproductive Biology (Society for the Study of Reproduction), multiple early career awards from the Robinson Research Institute and EpiCSA, and recognition for collaborative research on paternal programming.

Grants: NHMRC Ideas Grants (2023–2028), HMRI grants, and international collaborations. Total funding exceeds $2.5 million.

Teaching: Leads courses in Biotechnology Placement, Molecular Biology, and Reproductive Health Research. Supervised over 18 graduate students across PhD, Honours, and Master's programs.

Labs/Teams: Leads the HMRI Infertility and Reproduction Program, collaborates with Dr. David Sharkey at the University of Adelaide, and uses cutting-edge proteomics, transcriptomics, and single-cell analysis techniques.