Mel Ziman

With her expertise in both Melanoma and Huntington’s Disease, Mel established and still leads the Melanoma Research Group at ECU. While teaching and coordinating four undergraduate units a year with hundreds of students, as well as supervising several postgraduate students to completion, she built a strong, innovative research team that now leads research in WA on the development of melanoma blood tests. These tests are set to revolutionise the way melanoma is diagnosed and treated and will dramatically improve patient outcomes. Mel is a mentor for her team of researchers and clinical fellows (80% female) and has been, and continues to be, principal supervisor of 39 PhDs, MScs and BSc Honours students, of which 24 (61%) are female. She has fostered their careers, with several acquiring postdoctoral positions in prestigious laboratories. She regularly promotes science to the community, giving talks and demonstrations to adults and school students and businesses.