Prof Tony Tiganis is Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Head of the Metabolism, Diabetes and Obesity Program and Scientific Director of the Monash Metabolic Phenotyping Platform within the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University. He leads a multidisciplinary team investigating the molecular mechanisms that drive obesity and diabetes and how these metabolic states influence cancer development and immune function. His research focuses on cellular signalling networks, particularly the role of protein tyrosine phosphatases in metabolism, immunology, and cancer. By decoding these pathways, he and his laboratory aim to identify new therapeutic targets for metabolic disease and its devastating comorbidities.

Philipp Scherer, PhD, is Professor of Internal Medicine and Cell Biology and Director of the Touchstone Diabetes Center at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He earned his doctorate at the University of Basel and completed postdoctoral training at the Whitehead Institute at MIT. Scherer is best known for discovering adiponectin and endotrophin, key adipokines that link adipose tissue to systemic metabolism. His research focuses on energy homeostasis, insulin sensitivity, inflammation, and cardiometabolic disease, aiming to identify new therapeutic targets. A highly cited scientist, he has received multiple international honors, including the American Diabetes Association’s Banting Medal for Scientific Achievement.

Annabel Wang, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at City of Hope in Los Angeles, California. The research in the Wang laboratory focuses on the metabolic and cellular plasticity of adipose tissue in response to physiological, pathophysiological, and aging-related challenges. The team’s long-term goals are to provide fundamental insights into 1) the metabolic significance of adipocyte and adipocyte progenitor cell plasticity and heterogeneity; 2) mechanisms by which adipocytes communicate with other cell types in response to metabolic cues; and 3) adipose tissue remodeling during aging and age-associated metabolic disorders. Ultimately, they aim to mitigate pathogenesis and develop effective treatments for chronic metabolic diseases. Dr. Wang obtained her Ph.D. with Professor Yong Liu at the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. She did her postdoctoral training with Professor Philipp Scherer at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Professor James holds the Leonard P Ullmann Chair in Molecular Systems Biology and leads Biology at the Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney. He discovered the insulin-responsive glucose transporter GLUT4 and has advanced understanding of insulin action. His research now focuses on how genetics and environment shape metabolic health and disease.