The Office of Medical Research and Innovation (OMRI) is pleased to host the second event in its 2026 OMRI Speaker Series, featuring Professor Nikolajs Zeps.

The OMRI Speaker Series provides a regular forum for thought leadership, discussion and sector‑wide engagement across Western Australia’s health and medical research and innovation ecosystem.

In this session, Professor Zeps will share insights drawn from his extensive experience in clinical research leadership, clinical trials and medical ethics. The conversation will focus on the role of ethical leadership and proportionate, risk‑based review in designing high‑quality research, and how clear, consistent ethics processes and collaboration across health services, research organisations and industry can support timely study start‑up and deliver better outcomes for patients and the community.

Participation is encouraged either in person or online. This event will be delivered as a hybrid session, with opportunities for both in‑room and virtual engagement.

About the speaker

Professor Nikolajs Zeps is a cancer biologist and a highly respected leader in clinical research and medical ethics in Australia. He holds several senior academic and leadership roles at Monash University and is the Clinical Research Lead for Monash Partners.

His career includes senior research leadership roles across major health services, including Northern Health, Epworth HealthCare and St John of God HealthCare. Professor Zeps has also served as a founding director and board member of the Australian Clinical Trials Alliance and held national leadership roles in research ethics and governance, including with the NHMRC. He is a recipient of the NHMRC Ethics Prize for his contributions to human research ethics.