Senior executive and leadership team

Acting Chief Executive Officer

Prue Torrance (she/her) is the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the NHMRC, Australia’s leading agency for health and medical research. She leads the organisation's efforts to improve health outcomes through research, evidence and innovation, and is responsible for advancing NHMRC's national role in research funding, health advice, ethics, integrity and research stewardship. She represents NHMRC in senior Australian Public Service (APS), cross-government and international forums, and serves on a range of national and international research governance and advisory bodies.

Prue has more than 2 decades of experience working at the intersection of research, policy and public administration, with a particular interest in science policy and funding, ethics, governance and organisational leadership. She has held senior leadership roles across the APS and has extensive experience leading research policy, funding and governance initiatives of national significance. Prior to her appointment as Acting CEO, Prue served as NHMRC's Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer.

Prue holds a Master of Studies (Public Policy) from the Australian National University and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours in Political Philosophy) and Bachelor of Science (Psychology) from Monash University. She is a graduate of the Oxford Executive Leadership Programme and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Acting Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer

Dr Nicholas Johnson is the Acting Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer at NHMRC. He has more than 14 years Australian Government experience across science, health and medical research. He also brings 12 years experience as a PhD-trained biomedical researcher. Dr Johnson has held senior roles across Health and NHMRC, including in health protection policy, leading the Immunisation Branch and the branch that established the Australian Centre for Disease Control, leading national clinical trials reform and the National One Stop Shop, and overseeing modelling and evaluation functions for the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.

As Acting Deputy CEO and COO, Dr Johnson supports the Chief Executive Officer in leading NHMRC and oversees corporate governance, organisational performance, people, resources, systems, and agency-wide delivery.

Executive Director, Research Foundations

Dr Glover’s team manages NHMRC’s largest research funding schemes, coordinates peer review training activities, manages NHMRC’s grants and funding arrangements with research institutions, and leads NHMRC’s evaluation and impact strategies.

Dr Glover completed a PhD in the Faculty of Science at the Australian National University and held research positions until entering the public sector at the Bureau of Rural Sciences in 2002. In 2007, Dr Glover moved to the Innovation Division of the Australian Government Department of Industry and spent 4 years developing and delivering key innovation policies. Dr Glover joined NHMRC as a Director in 2011.

Executive Director (acting), Research Partnerships

Chris currently leads NHMRC’s Research Partnerships branch, which is responsible for promoting collaboration and delivering strategic and health priorities through innovative research partnerships. The branch manages funding schemes that support priority driven research, translation of findings into policy and practice, and initiatives to strengthen consumer and community involvement in health and medical research.

Chris and his team work closely with the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing to support the development of the National Strategy for Health and Medical Research and to advance research translation activities across Australia.

Chris has more than 15 years’ experience at NHMRC – spanning roles in project grants, clinical trials, targeted research calls, international collaborations, dementia research, and the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF). Most recently, he led NHMRC’s Research Strategy and Engagement section, overseeing international engagement, research translation strategy, health priorities, dementia, and several advisory committees.

Executive Director, Research Quality and Advice

Dr Maria Trainer joined the NHMRC in June 2026 from the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA), where she most recently served as Executive Director, Science and Assurance. In this role, she led international engagement efforts, managed post-market assurance and review functions, and oversaw the development of contemporary guidance to support regulatory clarity and scientific integrity.

Prior to joining the APVMA in 2019, Dr Trainer held senior positions in the private, public, and non-governmental sectors in Canada. This included more than 7 years as Managing Director, Science and Regulatory Affairs at CropLife Canada, and 3 years as Program Director with the Council of Canadian Academies, where she led the Expert Panel on the Integrated Testing of Pesticides.

Dr Trainer brings extensive experience in regulatory science and policy, with a strong focus on advancing research quality, integrity, and evidence-informed advice to support Australia’s health and medical research system.

Executive Director, Technology and Data

Simon Mair's branch leads the organisations IT management, it is responsible for data analytics and reporting on grants; and oversees the operation of NHMRC's grant system, Sapphire.

Mr Mair is a senior public servant with more than 20 years IT experience working in Canberra and Melbourne. He is an empowering leader and builder of high performing teams with extensive experience in portfolio, program, and project management, governance, IT operations and strategic policy development. Mr Mair joined NHMRC in 2024.