Associate Professor Jim Whittle is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow and clinician-scientist specialising in neuro-oncology. He is Neuro-Oncology Lead at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Laboratory Head at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI), and Co-Director of Research Strategy at the Brain Cancer Centre in Melbourne.

His research spans discovery science, translational biology, and early-phase clinical trials, with the aim of improving treatment options for people with brain cancer. His work integrates precision oncology, patient-derived tumour models, and perioperative clinical trials to better understand tumour biology and translate laboratory discoveries into clinical studies, particularly for glioma and adolescent and young adult brain cancers.

He leads the Brain Perioperative Program (BPOP), a Victorian Government–funded initiative developing an integrated perioperative research platform in glioma. His research has been published in journals including Nature Medicine, The Lancet Oncology, Cancer Discovery, and Science Translational Medicine. He serves on the Management Committee of the Cooperative Group for Neuro-Oncology (COGNO), chairs its Outreach and Education Committee, and contributes to international initiatives through the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) and Asian Society of Neuro Oncology (ASNO)