About me
Dr Luke Whiley is a Dementia Australia Royce Simmons Foundation Mid-Career Research Fellow, and Senior Lecturer in Phenomics based at the Centre for Computational and Systems Medicine located at Murdoch University. Dr. Whiley also holds a Senior Lectureship at Curtin University, also located in Perth, Western Australia.
Dr Whiley's research focuses on understanding why some people are more vulnerable to neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, while others maintain good cognitive health as they age. His work explores the complex interplay between genetics, lifestyle, and environmental factors, aiming to identify key risk factors that may contribute to the development of dementia.
Dr Whiley has over fifteen years of experience in metabolomics and bioanalysis, having worked across both academic and industrial laboratories. Prior to joining Curtin University in July 2025, Luke held research positions at the Australian National Phenome Centre (ANPC), Murdoch University, the UK National Phenome Centre (NPC) and the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) at Imperial College London. His industry roles include analytical chemistry positions at the UK anti-doping laboratory, where he contributed to drug testing during the Olympic Games, and as a mass spectrometry specialist with the UK Ministry of Defence, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL).
Dr Whiley’s research employs an analytical technique known as metabolic phenotyping, which involves analysing blood and urine samples using advanced technology platforms including mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. These analyses produce metabolic signatures that reflect an individual’s health status and are shaped by factors such as genetics, diet, lifestyle, and disease - making each signature as unique as a fingerprint. By comparing these signatures across populations, Dr Whiley seeks to uncover biological insights into health and disease, particularly the factors that influence the risk of developing neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
In addition, Dr Whiley is committed to advancing the analytical capabilities and developing applications across the field of metabolic phenotyping. This area of work focuses on developing new robust and reliable bioanalytical methods that can be applied in large-scale epidemiological and clinical studies, ensuring the generation of high-quality, population-wide data that can be used to further understand health and disease.
Dr. Whiley's experience and expertise led him to be named as a rising star in proteomics and metabolomics by the Journal of Proteome Research/American Chemical Society in 2021.
Dr Whiley is also active in science communication and public outreach. He currently serves as the project officer for the Perth and Sydney Pint of Science festivals and has participated in public engagement initiatives for dementia charities. His media appearances include ABC Perth Radio and podcasts such as The Naked Scientists, Curiosity Killed the Rat, and Avid Research. In recognition of his contributions to research and community engagement, Dr Whiley was named a Tall Poppy by the Australian Institute of Policy and Science (AIPS) in 2024.