Kevin Watt

I am a Research Fellow in the Muscle Biology and Therapeutics Laboratory, Centre of Muscle Research. I have a passion to understand the essential cellular signaling pathways that contribute to skeletal muscle growth and wasting, with a particular focus on the Hippo signaling pathway. I completed a BSc (Hons) in Sports and Exercise Science (2001-2006), and a PhD in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Aberdeen, UK (2006-2010). Following a period with Professor Kieran Harvey, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, I joined the laboratory of A/Prof Paul Gregorevic where I lead research projects related to: 1) the Hippo signalling in skeletal muscle and 2) the underlying mechanisms driving disease pathology in pre-clinical models of muscular dystrophies.

I have practical experience with a range of model organisms (mouse, chick embryo and rat) and am an author on studies in prestigious journals including Nature Comms, JCI Insight, Cell Metab and J Cell Biol. He has obtained more than $100,000 in competitive research funding as CIA since 2015 and have lead the field in demonstrating that the Hippo signalling pathway is a vital mediator of skeletal muscle mass in health and disease. I currently hold affiliate appointments in the Department of Diabetes, Monash University and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, USA and serve as an associate editor with the journal, “Frontiers in Physiology”.