Chris Goodnow FAA FRS is Deputy Director at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney where he holds the Bill and Patricia Ritchie Foundation Chair, NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellowship, and leads the Immunogenomics Laboratory. He is Conjoint Professor, St Vincent’s Clinical School, UNSW Australia, and President of the Australasian Society for Immunology. Chris trained in Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, Immunochemistry, and PhD in Immunology from the University of Sydney. He was Howard Hughes Investigator and faculty member at Stanford University 1990-1997, and Professor and founding Director of Australian Phenomics Facility at the Australian National University 1997-2015. Chris is known particularly for his research using mouse molecular genetics that has illuminated how the body’s immune system learns to distinguish ‘self’ from ‘non-self’ so that it does not attack our own body or cause cancer while fighting off infections. His work aims to translate genomic analysis of the human immune system into understanding the cause and treatment of human immune disorders. His research contributions have been recognized by a number of awards, including Pharmingen Investigator Award from the American Association of Immunologists (AAI), AAI Distinguished Lecturer, Australasian Society for Immunology Burnet Orator, Gottschalk Medal, Health Minister’s Prize, Ramaciotti Medal, GSK Award for Research Excellence, Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, Fellow of the Royal Society and Member of the US National Academy of Sciences. Outside of professional life Chris is an avid surfer, recognized for his 1980 exploration and discovery of the now legendary surf in the Mentawai Islands off Sumatra, and he enjoys spending time together with his family surfing around Bawley Point on the NSW South Coast.