Academic leadership team

Professor Iain McGregor

Academic Director

Iain McGregor is the Academic Director of the Lambert Initiative and an NHMRC Principal Research Fellow. He is responsible for academic and organisational leadership, strategic direction, governance and reporting, and the development and achievement of the preclinical and clinical research strategies. Iain oversees a team of more than 25 staff and students, including the Associate Directors, and reports to the Lambert Initiative Internal Management Group (IMG). Renowned in the field of medicinal cannabis research, Iain leads strategic relations, advocacy and education.

In addition to medicinal cannabis, Iain’s research spans medicinal chemistry, the use of cellular assays and preclinical animal models of disease, and clinical trials in humans. His major areas of research interest include:

• the beneficial effects of oxytocin on social behaviour
• the development of novel treatments for addiction-related and mental health problems
• analysis of the increasing use of prescription psychotropic drugs in Australia and other countries
• pharmaco-epidemiology
• the study of olfaction and pheromones.

Iain is a well-known figure in the field of medicinal cannabis research and has published more than 50 papers on cannabinoids, his first one more than 20 years ago. He has more than 200 career publications and an h-index of 57.

Associate Professor Jonathon Arnold

Deputy Academic Director, Preclinical Research

Jonathon Arnold is the Deputy Academic Director of Preclinical Research, and has a primary focus on strategic direction and execution of the Lambert Initiative’s preclinical research program. He also works closely with the clinical research team to assist in the development and translation of research findings. Jonathon leads various Lambert Initiative projects which examine the efficacy of cannabinoids and full-spectrum cannabis extracts in preclinical models of disease including childhood epilepsy, cancer and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). He is also exploring the role of the endogenous cannabinoid system in various diseases.

Jonathon brings considerable expertise in cannabis research and cannabinoid pharmacology to the academic leadership team. Jonathon has been Head of the Cannabinoid Research Group in the Sydney Medical School since 2002 and has published over 60 research papers that have received more than 2000 citations. His first major discovery was that plant cannabinoids reverse resistance to anticancer drugs. He has also isolated several genes that modulate the effects of cannabinoids on the brain and contributed to Australia’s first cannabis potency study, showing that Australian street cannabis is among the most potent in the world. More recently he has published research on interplay between CBD and THC which may contribute to 'the entourage effect'.

In addition, Jonathon contributes to community outreach and education. He has incorporated cannabis research into the curriculum of Science and Medicine degrees at the University of Sydney. He has also supervised eight PhD students whose theses addressed cannabis research.