Dr Zalesky graduated from the University of Melbourne with degrees in mathematics and engineering, and a PhD in December 2006. Since that time, under the supervision of Prof Christos Pantelis, he has co-authored a textbook and 100+ peer-reviewed papers, four of which featured in Essential Science Indicators’ most highly cited list. A/Prof Zalesky currently holds the NHMRC Career Development Fellowship and was awarded the 2014 Young Tall Poppy Science Award. His skills are in biological psychiatry, neuroimaging, biostatistics and systems neuroscience. He employs a multidisciplinary approach that combines computational science with magnetic resonance imaging data acquired in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders. He has a proven track record in developing advanced computational models to identify neuropathology in the human brain and applying these models in collaboration with psychiatrists to understand mental illness in terms of the biological structure, function and axonal connectivity of the cortex. He utilises his formal training in computational science and engineering to complement the clinical expertise of his collaborators, allowing them to undertake complex studies involving the computational analysis of magnetic resonance imaging data acquired in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders, most notably schizophrenia.