Chris Murphy has a BSc (Hons) from The University of Adelaide (1976), a PhD from Flinders University (1980) and a DSc from The University of Sydney (1998). He is also a Fellow of The Royal Microscopy Society (FRMS).
His research interests are in female reproductive biology and particularly the uterus and implantation of the blastocyst (the fertilized egg), the evolution of live birth and female fertility and its complications especially endometriosis.
He has published in these areas since 1979 and continues to publish in a reduced capacity since retirement in 2019. Chris remains on the Editorial Boards of several international journals including Membranes, Journal of Morphology and Acta Histochemica. He has been on the Ethics Committee of IVF-Australia since 2012.