Hear bold ideas. Explore our facilities. Meet our researchers.

La Trobe University’s School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment invites alumni, industry partners, government representatives, researchers, staff and students to the 2026 Dean’s Seminar and Research Showcase.

Hosted by Professor Robyn Murphy, Dean of the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, the event will showcase the School’s research capabilities and facilities while creating opportunities for new connections across research, industry and the wider community.

Hear bold ideas at the annual Dean’s Seminar, explore our facilities through a guided tour, meet our researchers and connect with guests from across industry, government, academia and the wider community.

Keynote Seminar

Beyond Ozempic: The Next Frontier in Metabolic Medicine

Professor Garron Dodd

Professor and Head of the Metabolic Neuroscience Laboratory, University of Melbourne

Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Gallant Bio and OberX Bio

Garron Dodd leads the Metabolic Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Melbourne, where his research investigates the brain circuits that control body weight, appetite and blood sugar, including the same circuitry targeted by drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro.

Through Gallant Bio and OberX Bio, he is translating these discoveries into the next generation of metabolic medicines.unities for new connections across research, industry and the wider community.

About the seminar

Today’s weight-loss drugs reach only a fraction of the brain’s metabolic control system. Professor Dodd’s laboratory has identified potentially more powerful circuits that no current therapy targets, along with new ways to reach them.

In this Dean’s Seminar, he will explore how drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro work, why they can transform health for some people but have limited effects for others, what current science tells us about obesity, and where metabolic medicine is heading next.

The public program runs from 2.00 pm to 7.00 pm, with two main arrival times:

• Arrive at 2.00 pm to join a guided tour of selected campus facilities, followed by the Dean’s Seminar and networking reception.

• Arrive at 4.00 pm to attend the Dean’s Seminar and networking reception.

Guests are welcome to attend the full program or join the parts that suit their interests and availability.

Those attending a facilities tour will also have time to grab a coffee or take a short break in the Agora before the Dean’s Seminar begins.

Contact the host of 2026 Dean’s Seminar & Research Showcase