Benjamin Cao obtained a PhD in Organic Chemistry in 2011 from the University of Melbourne (Bio21 Institute) under the supervision of Dr Spencer J Williams working on the total synthesis of mycobacterial glycolipids as novel agonists of natural killer T cells. He then joined CSIRO as an OCE Postdoctoral Fellow within the Stem Cell (Dr Susie Nilsson) and Organic Chemistry (Dr Paul Savage) groups where he synthesised small molecule fluorescent integrin antagonists and assessed their activity on bone marrow haemopoietic stem cells (HSCs). He is currently a Research Scientist within the Nilsson group working on the development of small molecule HSC mobilisation agents for transplant applications. His research interests include carbohydrate chemistry, chemical biology and the application of synthetic chemical tools in understanding HSC biology at the molecular level.