John Stocker (scientist)
Encyclopedia
John Wilcox Stocker AO
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...

 (born 23 April 1945) is an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n immunologist
Immunology
Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. It deals with the physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and diseases; malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders ; the...

 and the former Chairman of the Board of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is the national government body for scientific research in Australia...

 (CSIRO), the national government body for scientific research in Australia. Stocker is a former Chief Scientist of Australia
Office of the Chief Scientist (Australia)
The Office of the Chief Scientist is part of Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research . Its primary responsibilities are to support the Chief Scientist and the Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council .-Chief Scientist:The Chief Scientist is responsible for...

.

Education

Stocker's undergraduate studies were at the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...

, completing his Bachelor of Medical Science in 1969, and his Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery
Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, or in Latin Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae , are the two first professional degrees awarded upon graduation from medical school in medicine and surgery by universities in various countries...

 in 1970. In 1976, he completed his Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...

 at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research is Australia's oldest medical research institute.In 2011, the institute is home to more than 650 researchers who are working to understand, prevent and treat diseases including blood, breast and ovarian cancers; inflammatory diseases such as...

 in Melbourne.

Career

On completion of his studies, Stocker joined the Basel Institute for Immunology
Basel Institute for Immunology
The Basel Institute for Immunology was founded in 1969 as a basic research institute in immunology located at 487 Grenzacherstrasse, Basel, Switzerland on the Rhine River down the street from the main Hoffmann-La Roche campus near the Swiss-German border. The institute opened its doors in 1971...

 in Switzerland and in 1979 he took a position with Hoffmann–La Roche in Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...

. At Hoffmann–La Roche, his first role involved the study of monoclonal antibodies
Monoclonal antibodies
Monoclonal antibodies are monospecific antibodies that are the same because they are made by identical immune cells that are all clones of a unique parent cell....

 and leading a task force investigating opportunities for scientific and commercial development of biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...

-based vaccine
Vaccine
A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe or its toxins...

s. While with Hoffmann–La Roche, he would later serve as Director of Pharmaceutical Research. In 1987, Stocker returned to Australia as the founding Managing Director of the commercial biomedical company, AMRAD Corporation Ltd.

CSIRO

Stocker was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of the CSIRO in 1990 and held the role until 1995. In 1996, Stocker was appointed by the Minister for Science and Technology
Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (Australia)
The current Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research is Kim Carr, appointed on 3 December 2007. He administers his portfolio through the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.-List of Ministers for Industry :...

, Peter McGauran, to the position of Chief Scientist of Australia
Office of the Chief Scientist (Australia)
The Office of the Chief Scientist is part of Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research . Its primary responsibilities are to support the Chief Scientist and the Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council .-Chief Scientist:The Chief Scientist is responsible for...

. The role was a part-time position, Stocker working one day a week. He left the position in 1999.

Stocker returned to the CSIRO in June 2007, this time as Chairman. He completed his term at CSIRO Chairman on 27 June 2010 and was succeeded by Mr Simon McKeon
Simon Mckeon
Simon McKeon is an Australian businessman, philanthropist and sportsman. On 25 January 2011 he was named Australian of the Year for 2011 by Prime Minister Julia Gillard.- Business :...

. He is the chair of Sigma Pharmaceuticals
Sigma Pharmaceuticals
Sigma Pharmaceuticals Limited is a company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange that produces over-the-counter drugs and prescription medicine.- 2010 trading halt :...

 and a non-executive director of the Australian telecommunications company, Telstra
Telstra
Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....

.

Other appointments

Stocker is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians
Royal Australasian College of Physicians
The Royal Australasian College of Physicians, or RACP, is the organisation responsible for training, educating, and representing over 9,000 physicians and paediatricians in Australia and New Zealand. It was founded in 1938....

 and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. In 1992, The Australian
The Australian
The Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....

newspaper named Stocker as its Australian of the Year. He was made an Officer in the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...

 (AO) in 1999 for services to Australian scientific and technological research and in 2001 was awarded the Centenary Medal
Centenary Medal
The Centenary Medal is an award created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the Centenary of Federation of Australia and to honour people who have made a contribution to Australian society or government...

 for outstanding service to science and technology.

External links

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