ProfessorKen Walder

Professor Walder is Chair in Metabolic Diseases in the School of Medicine and
Co-Director of IMPACT Institute. His role is to facilitate and conduct
research in the field of mental health, including supervision of staff and
students

Professor Walder is the Chair of Metabolic Diseases in the School of Medicine
and the Co-Director of IMPACT Institute. His research focuses on mental health
disorders, and in particular the discovery of novel treatments for these
diseases. After spending 2 years at the National Institutes of Health in
Phoenix, Arizona, Professor Walder returned to Deakin University where he has
played a key role in the evolution of the Metabolic Research Unit and the
establishment of IMPACT Institute. He has authored more than 150 academic
publications and is named as an inventor on more than 40 patent applications.
Professor Walder has worked closely with a number of industry partners, and is
focused on conducting applied research with tangible outcomes that benefit
Australia. In 2014, a compound discovered in Professor Walder's laboratory
successfully completed a Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of type 2
diabetes. Current work is focused on using induced pluripotent stem cell
technology to repurpose drugs to treat common mental health disorders
including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and major depressive disorder. Prof
Walder also recently commenced a new project aiming to repurpose drugs to
treat myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.