Catherine Mills

Biography

Professor Catherine Mills is an internationally recognised bioethicist, with research interests in the ethical, social and regulatory aspects of biomedical and technology innovation in human reproduction. She undertakes empirically informed ethical and regulatory analysis that helps to shape the implementation of innovations in reproductive technology and medicine. She also has expertise in feminist philosophy and aspects of Continental philosophy, particularly the work of Michel Foucault, and debates on biopolitics.

She is the author of three single author books, as well as numerous articles and book chapters. Her books are: The Philosophy of Agamben (2008), Futures of Reproduction: Bioethics and Biopolitics(2011) and Biopolitics (2018). She is also co-editor of the Routledge Handbook of Feminist Bioethics (2022).

She has received competitive grant funding from major national and international agencies, including ARC, NHMRC, MRFF and Wellcome Trust. She led the first MRFF-funded project in the humanities in Australia, on ethical, regulatory and social issues raised by genomics in preventing mitochondrial disease. Her current research projects include leading the patient and community engagement stream of the clinical trial program for mitochondrial donation run by Monash University. She leads the Reproductive Biomedicine and Technology Ethics group in the Monash Bioethics Centre.

She has contributed to institutional and disciplinary leadership in roles such as Head of the School of Philosophical, Historical and International Studies and Director of the Monash Bioethics Centre, both at Monash University. She is a member of the ARC College of Experts.