Roland Stocker

Roland Stocker is a Swiss Australian biochemist who discovered the antioxidant activity of bilirubin. He is a former Olympic rower and has represented Switzerland at the 1980 Summer Olympics.

Early life and education

Stocker was awarded a Diplom Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik, or Diploma in/of Natural Science, from the ETH Zurich in 1981 and a Ph.D. from the Australian National University in 1985.

Career

Stocker has made significant contributions to the understanding of the molecular action of Alpha-Tocopherol during the oxidation of lipoproteins, the antioxidant activities of ubiquinol-10 in lipoproteins, the contribution of oxidation of low-density lipoprotein to atherosclerosis, the understanding of how antioxidants and heme oxygenase-1 protect against atherosclerosis, the role of myeloperoxidase to atherosclerotic plaque destabilization, and the contribution of tryptophan metabolism by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase in the regulation of vascular tone in inflammation.
Stocker is recognized as a "redox pioneer". He is a Fellow of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences and the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.
Formerly, Stocker held an appointment as a professor at the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney, Australia. Currently, he is Group Leader at the Heart Research Institute.

Personal life

Stocker lives in Sydney, Australia with his wife, Maree Stenglin.
Stocker's twin brother, Peter, was also an Olympic rower for Switzerland.