Professor Peter Doherty retired as a VESKI Board Director on November 14, 2007 and has accepted an ambassadorial role as a VESKI Fellow.
Peter Doherty is an NHMRC Burnet Fellow and Laureate Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne. His research interest is in viral immunity, particularly the part played by the CD8+ "killer" T lymphocyte.
He was named the 1997 Australian of the Year, after sharing the 1996 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with his Swiss colleague, Rolf Zinkernagel.
Prior to returning to Australia in 2002, he served for 14 years as Head of the Department of Immunology at St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis.
While maintaining an active research program, he is also an advocate for innovation, liberal education and the role of science in society.