Bronwyn Kingwell

Professor Bronwyn Kingwell is a NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow and at Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute (Melbourne) is head of the Physical Activity Program and the Metabolic and Vascular Physiology Laboratory. She is also a graduate and fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She has adjunct Professorships at the University of Melbourne, Monash University, James Cook University, the University of NSW and the University of Pierre and Marie Curie in Paris.

Professor Kingwell’s early work was in the area of exercise, metabolic and circulatory regulation where she performed landmark studies in rodents and humans, including the first credible clinical trial evidence that walking reduces cardiovascular risk. This seminal work influenced physical activity recommendations worldwide. She has a long-standing track-record in elucidation of the mechanisms by which exercise provides health benefits, including evidence that aerobic exercise improves endothelial function, arterial stiffness and cardiac autonomic function contributing to a rational basis for international exercise prescription guidelines. Professor Kingwell has specific experience with mechanistic clinical trials for potential new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in diabetes and cardiovascular disease (family of five patents recently licensed to Zora Biosciences Inc.). This work has opened new avenues in therapeutics for treatment of diabetes. She also works extensively with primary human cells and tissues (blood, muscle, adipose, pancreas) to elucidate clinically relevant signaling pathways and mechanisms. Kingwell is currently a chief investigator on a NHMRC Program (2013-17), CRE (2013-2018) and Project Grant (2014-17). She has over 180 publications in well regarded journals.

Professor Kingwell is active in science policy through leadership roles past and present including on the NHMRC Council and Research Committee, the National Heart Foundation Research Committee, the Council of Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and the National Committee for Medicine of the Australian Academy of Science. She is an active mentor of students and early career scientists.