Scott Byrne is a tenured Professor of Immunology in The School of Medical Sciences at The University of Sydney. He leads the Cellular Photoimmunology Group and co-leads the Autoinflammatory Diseases Group at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research where he is also Co-Director of the Centre for Immunology and Allergy Research.

Scott is internationally known and decorated for his studies on how exposure of the skin to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation modulates the immune system. This dedication to photo-immunology led to his discovery that a major way in which UV exerts its effects on the immune system is via activation of a unique subset of immune modulatory B cells. These studies have been published in some of the highest ranked skin, photobiology and immunology journals. Scott has identified a number of skin immune cells and molecules that can be targeted therapeutically by novel immune modulators. This is allowing his team to design innovative strategies to prevent and treat a range of diseases affected by sunlight exposure including skin cancer, multiple sclerosis and cardiovascular disease.

Scott has been the recipient of numerous photobiology awards including the European Society for Photobiology Young Investigator Award, The Asia and Oceania Society for Photobiology Award for Young Scientists, and the Finsen Lecturer award from the International Union of Photobiology. He is a co-author of the United Nations Environment Programme: Environmental Effects Assessment Panel and is recognised by Expertscape as a World Expert in “Sunlight”; placing him in the top 0.02% of world experts in his field.