Simon Foster

Simon Foster is an Adjunct Research Fellow in the Department of Pharmacology at Monash University's Biomedicine Discovery Institute. He currently serves as a Senior Research Officer at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute's Cardiac Bioengineering Group, where he focuses on signaling pathways underlying cardiac fibrosis using stem-cell derived human cardiac organoids. His work continues in collaboration with Prof Martin Stone on chemokine signaling, supported by an NHMRC Ideas Grant.

Dr. Foster's research interests center on molecular pharmacology and cardiovascular physiology with a particular focus on cell signaling and G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) biology. His work investigates chemokine-receptor interactions, which control leukocyte recruitment during inflammation and are critical targets for developing novel therapeutic agents against inflammatory diseases. His research has significant implications for understanding and controlling cardiac fibrosis and inflammatory disease mechanisms.

Dr. Foster has received competitive Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in 2015 and serves as a peer reviewer for prestigious journals including Journal of Biological Chemistry, Frontiers in Physiology, and Science Signaling. He has been active in professional organizations, serving as the Victorian representative for the Drug Discovery Special Interest Group Committee of ASCEPT in 2019.

• Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (2015)
• Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (2015)

His research activities include extensive publication output with 33 research outputs documented, including high-impact publications in Cell, Molecular Pharmacology, and Pharmacology & Therapeutics. His work has generated significant academic attention with multiple publications receiving over 100 citations. Dr. Foster has led research projects including 'Decoding fibrotic signalling mechanisms to identify new heart failure therapeutic targets' (2021-2022) and 'Decoding monocyte signalling networks' (2020-2021).

Dr. Foster is actively involved in the Cardiac Bioengineering Group at QIMR Berghofer, where his team utilizes advanced techniques including stem-cell derived human cardiac organoids to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying cardiac fibrosis and inflammatory responses.