As a medical research practitioner, Dr David Hooker has received grants, conceived, designed and executed experiments, and published articles (as first author, co-author and senior author) in peer-reviewed journals published by Oxford University Press, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Society for Microbiology. His co-authored work on HIV-1 and AIDS was recognised by Time Magazine and Harvard University’s Health Letter (1996). Patented inventions include the first infectious clone for Gibbon Ape Leukaemia Virus (US and Australia patents) and a new way to measure apoptosis (Australian provisional patent).
Heeding God’s call to train for Christian ministry, David obtained an MDiv from the Bible College of Victoria (now Melbourne School of Theology) and then led an evangelical Chinese church in Australia for five-and-a-half years as senior pastor (2000 to 2006). David recently completed a PhD through the Australian College of Theology. The thesis won the MST PhD student prize in 2021 and is entitled “Human biological ageing: A synthesis of science and theology.” Part of this work has formed a chapter in the edited book Embracing Life and Gathering Wisdom: Theological, Pastoral and Clinical Insights into Human Flourishing at the End of Life (SCD, 2020). Aside from his role as Publications Director at ISCAST, David currently enjoys teaching biomedical science students at Monash University, Melbourne. He is married with a son and a daughter.