Associate ProfessorJames Wilmott

I currently lead the following flagship research programs:

Personalised Immunotherapy Program (PIP)

The Personalised Immunotherapy Program is a nationally embedded precision immunotherapy platform designed to transform how immunotherapies are selected and deployed in both clinical trials and routine oncology care. The program challenges the prevailing one‑size‑fits‑all approach to immunotherapy by integrating tumour genomics, gene expression and immune profiling to personalise treatment selection for individual patients. PIP is supported by a $3.7 million Cancer Institute NSW Program Grant (2022–2026) and serves as a model for scalable, biomarker‑driven integration of immunology and genomics into clinical practice. My research leadership spans national and international programs involving hospitals, universities, diagnostic providers and industry partners.

Effective Therapies for Patients with High‑Risk Disease

This program focuses on developing effective therapeutic strategies for patients with high‑risk, in‑transit melanoma, an area of significant unmet clinical need. Funded through a Melanoma Research Alliance Team Science Award ($1.4 million), the program brings together investigators from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, QIMR Berghofer, Melanoma Institute Australia and the University of Sydney. By integrating whole‑genome and transcriptome sequencing, single‑cell RNA sequencing and high‑plex spatial tissue imaging, the program is defining resistance mechanisms at cellular resolution and informing next‑generation therapeutic strategies.

Genomic Etiology of Rare Melanomas

This program investigates the genomic foundations of rare melanoma subtypes, including acral, mucosal and uveal melanomas. Through international collaboration, it has delivered the most comprehensive genomic characterisation of melanoma to date, encompassing whole‑genome, transcriptomic and methylomic profiling of over 570 tumours, with outputs in Nature and multiple Nature Communications publications. These studies have reshaped understanding of melanoma biology and informed classification, diagnosis and therapeutic development.

Across these programs, my goal is to deliver research that is scientifically ambitious, clinically meaningful, and operationally deliverable, while building strong teams and partnerships that sustain long‑term impact for patients and the healthcare system.