Dianne Nicol holds the position of Distinguished Professor Emerita in the Law Faculty at the University of Tasmania in Australia. Dianne has a background in science as well as law, with a PhD in cell biology. She is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Law and the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. Dianne’s research focuses primarily on the regulation and governance of emergent health technologies, together with commercialisation and patenting of biotechnological inventions. She is particularly interested in how ethical norms and social values shape regulation. She is a chief investigator on two new stem cell-related projects, awarded in 2026 by the Australian Medical Research Futures Fund, one of which focuses particularly on embryo models.
