Deanne Whitworth

I completed a BSc (Hons) and a PhD at the University of Melbourne before undertaking post-doctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston. My research focused on marsupial and eutherian developmental biology, going off piste a couple of times to work with spotted hyaenas and European moles. After 6 years in the US I returned to Australia to study Veterinary Science (BVSc) at the University of Queensland (UQ), going on to work in equine and small animal practice. A longing to get back into research lead to my current position as a Teaching & Research academic in the School of Veterinary Science, UQ. My lab has generated induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from dogs and horses that are being used to model diseases in vitro and as the basis for research into stem cell-based treatments for a variety of diseases. We have also produced iPSCs from the Tasmanian devil and the platypus, the first stem cells ever described from a marsupial and a monotreme, respectively, allowing us to pursue research directed at treating devil facial tumour disease, understanding marsupial and monotreme embryonic development, and the conservation of endangered species.

Education

• BSc (Hons), University of Melbourne (1990)
• PhD, University of Melbourne (1996)
• BVSc (Hons), University of Queensland (2006)

Employment

• Post-doctoral researcher, University of California, Berkeley, USA (1996-1997)
• Post-doctoral researcher, MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, Texas, USA (1997-2002)
• Veterinary Surgeon (2006-present)
• Lecturer, School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland (2010-2017)
• Affiliate Senior Research Fellow, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland (2016-present)
• Senior Lecturer, School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland (2017-2022)
• Associate Professor, School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland (2023-present)