A prominent cardiologist accused of sexually harassing a former employee has filed his defence in the Federal Court of Australia.

Jennifer De Jongh, 29, is suing Professor Chris Semsarian, 57, for damages for PTSD, emotional distress and lost income as a result of his conduct while she was working under his supervision between June and December 2022.

She claims Professor Semsarian, a deputy director of the Centenary Institute in Sydney, turned up to her apartment uninvited, sent thousands of text messages to her and touched her inappropriately.

She alleges that she responded to the texts and had dinner with him due to their work relationship and her desire to keep her job in cardiac genetics.