Adjunct Professor Craig Rayner is a clinical pharmacologist and leading authority in model-informed drug development. He has made key contributions to numerous medicine approvals, including treatments for bacterial infections, influenza and river-blindness, and designed hundreds of clinical trials.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, he provided expert scientific advice to governments, the World Health Organization and NGOs, and led work to debunk and uncover potential Covid-19 interventions.

As inaugural director of Moderna’s Regional Research Centre for Respiratory Medicines and Tropical Diseases (RRC), he helped establish translational, clinical and regulatory science R&D projects and training programs, helping Australia build leading edge capabilities in mRNA science. He currently serves as Director of Translational medicine, Infectious Diseases, a global clinical development role uniquely based in Australia, at the RRC.

Adjunct Professor Rayner bridges seamlessly between the private sector and academia. He built companies to multibillion dollar value, serves on advisory boards, and is adjunct research professor and distinguished alumnus at Monash University. He was appointed a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh in 2021.

Prof Rayner was awarded a FRCP Edin for his international contributions to medicine development, including leading global efforts against COVID-19, advising governments, WHO and NGOs. He defined new translational medicine tools, developed curricula for FDA, designed 100s of clinical trials and key contributions to numerous medicine approvals. Rayner has >120 publications including the all-time 6th most downloaded NEJM article and built companies >AU$10Bn in value. He has made sustained contributions to advance translational science in Australia (and globally) via voluntary advisory boards, prolific speaking engagements, mentoring executives to early career scientists, and raising public understanding of science in the community.