Vanessa is the Petre Chair and Professor of Prostate Cancer Research in the School of Medical Sciences (SOMS) at the University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health (FMH). She also holds an Extraordinary Professorship in the School of Health Systems and Public Health at the University of Pretoria and an Honorary Professorship in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Limpopo in South Africa, as well as a Honorary Professorship within the Division of Cancer Sciences at the University of Manchester in the UK. She is Director for the US DoD-funded HEROIC Prostate Cancer Precision Health (PCAPH) Africa1K Consortium and Scientific Director for the Southern African Prostate Cancer Study (SAPCS) and East African Prostate Cancer Study (EAPCS), while a Steering Committee member for the pan Prostate Cancer group (PPCG).

South African born, Vanessa completed undergraduate and postgraduate studies at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa and a PhD in Cancer Genetics at the University of Groningen in The Netherlands (1999). She has traveled the world, leading research teams in South Africa, United States (Penn State and J. Craig Venter Institute) and ultimately Australia, where she calls Sydney home. Staying true to her childhood passion to unravel the mysteries of the human DNA code and her love for the African continent and people, Vanessa has dedicated her research career to using state-of-the-art genomic tools and computational methods to: (i) unravel modern humans’ earliest evolution within Africa, (ii) include under-represented populations within the hope for precision medicine, and (iii) determine how different genetic ancestries and geographic localities have led to significant disparities in human health. One of the most significant global health disparities and the disease focus of her research – prostate cancer.  

Personal Mission: Engage life, embrace challenges, keep learning and be a voice for those with none.