New CSIRO chief executive appointed

Professor Doug Hilton, AO, has been appointed the new chief executive of CSIRO.

A molecular and cellular biologist, Professor Hilton is currently director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne. He is also head of the Department of Medical Biology in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Melbourne.

Professor Hilton has led the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) for the last 14 years, during which time it has grown to become a multi-disciplinary organisation that makes fundamental discoveries and works with partners to translate these into improved outcomes in cancer, infectious and immune diseases, development disorders and diseases of ageing.  

As a biological researcher, Professor Hilton has focused on blood cell production and how cells communicate with each other. He has continued this research while leading the WEHI. With his team he holds more than 20 patents and some of the team’s research has been commercialised through venture capital and biopharmaceutical company partnerships.

CSIRO board chair Kathryn Fagg, AO, said: “Professor Hilton will be a great asset to CSIRO as the national science agency strives to solve our greatest challenges.”

She said that at WEHI Professor Hilton had displayed a passion for research, mentoring and supporting young researchers and building the infrastructure to support their creativity. He had also shown a dedication to translating research into practical applications to improve lives.  

Professor Hilton will take on his new role in September.

Dr Larry Marshall will step down as CSIRO chief executive at the end of June after serving in the role for eight years.

Fagg said that since 2016 CSIRO had invested $425 million in Horizon 3 future research, had identified six national challenges to focus on solving, had launched missions to tackle seemingly impossible problems and had played a key role in the global response to COVID-19.

CSIRO’s executive director future industries, Kirsten Rose, will serve as acting chief executive from 1 July.

Marshall is a physicist who was the first Australian to establish a tech company in Silicon Valley. That company, Light Solutions invented the first solid-state green laser for the treatment of blindness in diabetics. Marshall founded another five companies in the US, including Arasor which he took public on the ASX in 2006. He also worked in venture capital in the US and in 2007 joined Australian venture capital firm Southern Cross Ventures for which he delivered the first NASDAQ IPO of an Australian venture-backed start-up based on the commercialisaton of scientific research.

Under Marshall, CSIRO launched its Innovation Fund in 2017 and set up Main Sequence Ventures to manage the fund. CSIRO committed $30 million in revenue from its WLAN program, the federal government provided $70 million and a matching $100 million was raised from the private sector.

Main Sequence Ventures closed a second fund, oversubscribed at $250 million in 2021.

Image: Professor Doug Hilton.