DrDamir Vareslija

I am Deputy Programme Director of the MPharm programme and contribute to undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral education across pharmacy, medicine, ATTBSc and precision medicine. My teaching focuses on cancer biology, CNS therapeutics, endocrine systems and disease, and professional development, with strong integration of research-led content and clinical relevance.

I have held academic leadership roles across the MPharm curriculum, including Year 2 and Year 3 Lead, and I currently lead multiple core modules across the university key programmes. I design curricula, coordinate large teaching teams, oversee assessment strategy, and support student progression across the programme.

My teaching emphasises mechanistic understanding, clinical application, and development of professional and research skills. This work was recognised with the 2024 Excellence in Teaching Award.

ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP ROLES

• Deputy Programme Director, MPharm (2025-)
• MPharm Year 2 Lead (2023-2025)
• MPharm Year 3 Lead (2022-23)

MODULE LEADERSHIP

• MPharm Year 2 Central Nervous System Health, Medicines and Patient Care. (2022-)
• DEM Year 3 Student Select Project Module. (2020-)

Previous roles include module leadership for MPharm Year 3 Cancer Prevention and Control and Professional Development 2 and 3.

TEACHING CONTRIBUTIONS

I deliver teaching across the following programmes and modules.

• MPharm Year 2 Central Nervous System.
• MPharm Year 3 Cancer Prevention and Control.
• MPharm and BSc Advanced Therapeutic Technologies Year 1 Health and Body Function.
• MPharm and BSc Advanced Therapeutic Technologies Year 1 Cellular Basis of Life.

• BSc Advanced Therapeutic Technologies Year 4 Frontiers of Therapeutic Technologies (FTT)

• MSc in Technologies and Analytics in Precision Medicine, Concepts of Precision Medicine.
• DEM Year 2 Endocrine and Breast.
• DEM Year 3 Student Select Project.

RESEARCH SUPERVISION

I supervise doctoral, master’s, and undergraduate research projects (SSP, SRS,ATT, RSS) aligned with cancer biology, brain metastasis, and translational oncology.

• Main PhD supervisor for Aoibhin Powell, Shannon Kalsi, Lara Luzietti, and Mingjun Zhao.
• PhD co-supervisor for Gordon Daly, Louise Watson, Heng Yee Lee, Alessandra Allotta, and Diego Carbonell.
• MSc supervision includes Sean Hickey and Jack Logue.
• International co-supervision through the Soochow MSc programme with Yue Wu and Zhang Weixun.