Celebrating research excellence: inaugural Littlejohn Medal announced

A/Prof Garron Dodd (DAP) and A/Prof Vihandha Wickramasinghe (DBP) jointly awarded the 2025 Littlejohn Medal.

^{Image: A/Profs Vihandha Wickramasinghe (L) & Garron Dodd (R)}

The University of Melbourne celebrates the global impact of its research community through prestigious award like the Marles and Woodward Medals – and now for the first time, the Littlejohn Medals. This award emphasizes the influential role our researchers play in shaping the future of health and medical sciences worldwide through their contribution of knowledge and research excellence.

This year it the award has been jointly awarded to two researchers in the School of Biomedical Sciences:

• Associate Professor Garron Dodd, Department of Anatomy and Physiology, for his paradigm-shifting discovery of “neurofibrosis” as a driver of obesity and type 2 diabetes, leading to new therapeutic approaches.
• Associate Professor Vihandha Wickramasinghe, Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, for his pioneering discoveries in RNA biology, which are driving advances in cancer therapeutics.

These awards reflect the University’s commitment to advancing research that transform lives – please join us in congratulating Garron & Vihandha.