[1] She is the Director and CEO of the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute (Brisbane, Queensland) since 2020,[2] after being the inaugural Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Melbourne (Victoria, Parkville campus) during the preceding five years.
[3][4][5][6][7] Mackay has been notably awarded, achieving international reputation for her widely cited research describing B-cell activating factor (BAFF) and other cytokines of the TNF receptor superfamily, and their roles in B cell physiology, autoimmunity and cancer.
[2] Her discovery of B-cell activating factor (BAFF) and its role in the pathophysiology of autoimmune diseases[21] provided foundations for the development of belimumab (TM Benlysta, an anti-BAFF monoclonal antibody), a milestone therapy approved in 2011 for the treatment Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.
[8] A Fabienne Mackay Grant Award to promote gender equality was established in 2021 to benefit women independent researchers in the School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Melbourne.
[9] Some of her most cited papers are: Mackay's public opinion on diverse subjects including autoimmune diseases and women in science can be found online.
[2] Notable accolades conferred on Mackay include the Thomson Reuters Australia Citation and Innovation Award (2012),[23] the Trophy for exceptional contribution in education and research as a French expatriate, by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2014), her election as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (2016),[10] the Martin Lackmann Award for Translational Research given by the Cell Signaling and its Therapeutic Implications CSTI program, Monash University (2017),[52] and the Vincent Fairfax Fellowship (2018-2019).