Professor Michael Holland

Director, Centre for Reproduction & Development

Professor Michael Holland is currently the Deputy Director of MIMR and is Head of the Centre for Reproduction and Development.

He has had 30 years in research with a strong focus on sperm function, fertilization and early embryo development. This has led to his involvement in cloning and in stem cell isolation and differentiation into gametes. He has pursued this career in Australia, the United States and briefly in Europe. Prof Holland has worked in a number of University Departments where he has been involved in both basic research and clinical research including running large IVF and infertility clinics.
Michael has also worked in Federal Government research centres in both Australia and the United States and has extensive experience in consulting to the biotechnology Industry. He is currently on the Board of several biotechnology companies.

Prof Holland's interest in biotechnology has seen him run a program in animal biotechnology focusing on enhancing reproductive efficiency and performance, developing fertility control vaccines for animal use and more recently including a large bovine cloning and transgenesis program which produced the World's fist completely characterised bovine embryonic stem cell lines. He is also interested in adult testicular germ cells and with colleagues in CSIRO, participates in a major initiative on adult stem cell transplantation in the bovine.

Prof Holland is active in professional societies and is the current President of the (Australian) Society of Reproductive Biology. He is also the Board member representing Biological Sciences on the Federation of Australian Science and Technology Societies. He is an Executive Council member of the American Society of Andrology and in 2008 will join the Executive of the (US) Society for Study of Reproduction. He is a member of  a number of Boards of science journals and remains an active contributor to the scientific literature.