A/Prof Buchanan leads a multi-disciplinary research program focused on understanding the causes of colorectal cancer to inform precision prevention and early detection. The ANGELS and Genetics of Colonic Polyposis Studies use genomics to identify the aetiology of young-onset colorectal cancer, and idiopathic polyposis cases that remain a significant clinical challenge.

He is a senior member of the leading international colorectal cancer studies, the Colon Cancer Family Registry (CCFR), and the Genetic Epidemiology of Colorectal Cancer Consortium (GECCO). A/Prof Buchanan is also an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Investigator Fellow and a University of Melbourne Dame Kate Campbell Fellow. He holds an honorary appointment within the Genomic Medicine and Familial Cancer Centre at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, contributing to a multidisciplinary approach to the diagnosis and risk management of hereditary cancer and colonic polyposis. He is committed to the translation of research into clinical practice, as a member of the National eviQ Cancer Genetics Reference Committee. integration of irAE risk prediction into clinical cancer services.