Dr. Lesley Cheng (PhD, Monash University, 2008) is an early career Postdoctoral researcher. She was awarded a Bachelor of Medical Science (La Trobe University) with Honours (Monash University) and a PhD (Monash University) with a PhD Scholarship from Neurosciences Victoria.She trained as a Cell and Molecular Biologist investigating neuronal death and survival.

After her PhD, she undertook a position at the American Hospital Dubai, a reputable hospital in the Middle East, where she developed and validated molecular pathology assays for diagnostic testing of genetic and infectious diseases. She then returned to Australia and joined the laboratory of Prof. Andrew F. Hill at the Bio21 Institute and University of Melbourne. The Hill Laboratory has since moved to the La Trobe Institute of Molecular Sciences.

Her postdoctoral research focuses on developing a diagnostic test for the detection of early onset Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. She specialises in small RNA deep sequencing and has devised methods to sequence nucleic acids from limited material such as biological fluids. She is the lead postdoctoral researcher detailing the genetic content of neuronal exosomes which has been developed to produce an Alzheimer's disease biomarker (Patent application 2013).