Associate ProfessorPegah Varamini

Associate Professor Pegah Varamini is a Chief Investigator, Associate Professor, and Group Leader in the School of Pharmacy at the University of Sydney. She leads the Breast Cancer Targeting & Drug Delivery (BCTDD) Group, overseeing a multidisciplinary research program focused on translational drug development for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and other hard-to-treat malignancies.

A/Prof Varamini is the inventor of a first-in-class peptide-based targeting strategy, employing a “Trojan Horse” approach to enable selective delivery of potent therapeutics to cancer cells. Her flagship peptide–drug conjugate (PDC) program has progressed through advanced preclinical development and is positioned for clinical translation and commercialisation. Her research portfolio spans targeted therapeutics, nanomedicine, radiotheranostics, implantable drug-delivery systems, and patient-derived organoid models, with a strong emphasis on regulatory readiness and industry partnership.

In 2016, A/Prof Varamini was selected as one of four national awardees of the prestigious National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) Fellowship and Grant, supporting the establishment of her independent research program. Since then, she has secured over $3 million in competitive grant funding and industry partnerships (cash and in-kind). She holds a strong intellectual property portfolio, including patents in peptide-drug conjugates, radiotheranostics, and implantable delivery platforms.

A/Prof Varamini has authored 49 peer-reviewed scholarly publications in leading journals across pharmaceutical sciences, nanomedicine, and oncology, and has delivered numerous invited and keynote presentations at major national and international conferences. Her work has attracted sustained international attention and has been featured across academic, industry, and public media platforms.

In addition to her research leadership, she plays a significant role in national and international scientific governance. She has been the Co-Chair of NanoPharma Cluster within the Sydney Nano Institute’s NanoHealth Network and serves as an Australian scientific advisor and representative to the World Health Organization’s Global Breast Cancer Initiative (WHO GBCI), contributing to the development of the global Implementation Framework for best-practice breast cancer management (Pillar 3).

Beyond pharmaceutical sciences, A/Prof Varamini is also a professional musician and holds a second PhD from the University of Sydney Conservatorium of Music, focused on Developing an Integrated Cross-Cultural Approach to Teaching Persian Classical Music. This interdisciplinary background informs her broader perspective on education, creativity, and leadership.