Anne Kelso (born 1954) is an Australian biomedical researcher specializing in immunology and influenza. She has served as the chief executive officer of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), the Australian Government’s principal agency for health and medical research funding, policy, and regulation.
Education and early career
Kelso earned a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in 1975 and a PhD in immunology in 1980 from the University of Melbourne. Following post‑doctoral research at the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research, she worked in the laboratories of Donald Metcalf and Gustav Nossal at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (1982–1992). She then joined the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (now QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute), where she remained until 2007.
Leadership roles
From 2000 to 2006, Kelso was Director/CEO of the Cooperative Research Centre for Vaccine Technology. In 2007 she returned to Melbourne to become Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, a position she held until 2015. In 2015 she was appointed CEO of the NHMRC, a term that was renewed for a further five years in 2018. As CEO, Kelso oversees the council’s activities in funding health and medical research, translating research into policy and practice, developing ethical guidelines, and administering legislation governing research involving human embryos. She also represents the NHMRC on the Board of Trustees of the Human Frontier Science Programme and on the Strategy Board of the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases.
Kelso has held prominent service positions, including president of the Australasian Society for Immunology, Secretary‑General of the International Union of Immunological Societies, and board memberships at Queensland University of Technology, the Telethon Kids Institute, and the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health. She has contributed to WHO and Australian Government advisory committees on influenza.
Research contributions
Kelso’s scientific work has focused on the regulation of T‑lymphocyte effector functions, particularly the cellular and molecular control of cytokine synthesis and cytolytic activity. While directing the WHO Collaborating Centre, she participated in research on T‑cell immunity to influenza viruses. Her contributions to immunology and vaccine research have been recognized by the Australian Academy of Science as “wide‑ranging and significant.” She holds an honorary professorial appointment in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne.
Honours and awards
- Officer of the Order of Australia (2007 Queen’s Birthday Honours) for service to science, especially immunology and vaccine research.
- Companion of the Order of Australia (2026 Australia Day Honours) for eminent service to health and medical research, influenza preparedness, and gender equity.
- Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (elected 2018).
- Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (elected 2018).
Kelso’s career reflects significant leadership in Australian biomedical research, contributions to global influenza research, and ongoing advocacy for gender equity and ethical standards in health science.