Mark Kendall (engineer)
Mark A. F. Kendall (BE PhD FTSE FRSA FNAI) (born 1972) is an Australian biomedical engineer, inventor, scientist and entrepreneur. He is Founder and CEO of WearOptimo Pty Ltd and the Vice-Chancellor's Entrepreneurial Professor at the Australian National University. Kendall was formerly the Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Queensland, where he led a team at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology. He was Founder, CTO and a Director of Vaxxas. Prior to this, in the UK, he was a University Research Lecturer at the University of Oxford and a lecturer at  Magdalen College, Oxford. Whilst at Oxford, Kendall was Associate Director of the PowderJect Research Centre for Gene and Drug Delivery. Kendall serves at the co-chair of the $150 million Australian Stem Cell Therapies Mission and on the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Biotechnology. Kendall has filed more than 160 patents (including territories), published in excess of 300 papers, licensed his technologies seven times (including to Merck & Co.) and partnered globally, including with the World Health Organization, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The biotech enterprises he has founded or made significant contribution to have generated in  the region of $2 billion Aus in value. Kendall's contributions to innovation in global healthcare has been recognised with more than forty awards. These include recent elections as: • World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer (2015). • Fellow of ATSE; Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (2017). • Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacture and Commerce (now the RSA), UK; (2017). Kendall is a CSL Young Florey Medallist and Rolex Laureate. Kendall's work regularly features in international media, including on the National Geographic Channel. Kendall's TedGlobal talk has been viewed more than a million  times. https://www.ted.com/speakers/mark_kendall Background. Kendall was born on 16 April 1972. He received his Bachelors of Engineering (Hons I, 1993) and PhD (1998) from the University of Queensland. In 1998, Kendall moved to the UK to take up a position in the Department of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford (1998-2006). He has subsequently held positions at the University of Queensland (2006-2018) and at the Australian National University (2018–Present). Contributions to Biotechnology. Kendall has over 160 patent applications of which, 128 have been granted to date. He has authored more than 300 refereed papers. At the University  of Oxford (1998-2006) Kendall developed a biolistic technique for the delivery of vaccines directly into the skin without the use of needles. At the University of Queensland (2006-2018) Kendall invented the Nanopatch for needle-free delivery of vaccines. At WearOptimo and the Australian National University (2018 to present), Kendall has invented the Microwearable™ sensor for personalised medicine. During his career, Kendall has collaborated with major global health partners including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, World Health Organization and Merck & Co. He is an Australian Government Academy of Science COVID-19 Expert. Contributions to biotech companies. As Associate Director  of the Oxford University PowderJect Research Centre (2000-2006), Kendall advanced biolistics technology, commercialised with PowderJect, purchased by Chiron (later Novartis) in 2003; and then with PowderMed, purchased by Pfizer in 2006. Kendall founded Vaxxas in 2011 to advance his Nanopatch technology for global impact, securing more than $40 million of investment, in the series A ($15m) and B (in excess of $25m) rounds. The Nanopatch technology has been licensed to Merck & Co. He served as the Vaxxas Chief Technology Officer, Director, and Chair of the Vaxxas Advisory Board (2011-2015). In 2018, Kendall founded  WearOptimo where he serves as CEO.