![Dr Nick Hudson](/sites/default/files/profiles/14636.jpeg)
Overview
Background
Nick is interested in fostering efficient, environmentally friendly animal production enterprises. He uses the data and capabilities provided by modern 'omics technologies to help improve breeding decisions and to inform other types of 'on farm' intervention.
Nick has a parallel interest in the development, physiology, metabolism and conservation of native Australian species, particularly frogs and butterflies.
Nick is a metabolic biochemist by training with research expertise in a) the handling and biological interpretation of large, complex data sets b) molecular technologies c) mitochondrial physiology and d) metabolic flux.
Nick enjoys teaching various aspects of biochemistry and molecular biology to both undergraduate and postgraduate students. He highlights the main themes using the comparative method and illustrates their importance through applied examples from agriculture and other areas of human endeavour.
Before taking his current position as a Teaching and Research academic in the School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability (AGFS) Nick worked for the CSIRO in a research intensive multi-disciplinary Systems Biology group.
Through this group he helped develop and apply bioinformatic methods that used metabolite, protein, RNA and DNA biotech to understand, model and predict phenotypes of commercial importance in cattle, sheep, pigs and chickens.
A research highlight from this time was the co-invention of a universal method for inferring causal molecules from genome-wide gene expression data (Hudson et al 2009. PLoS Comp Biol e1000382). This method has been applied across a diverse range of model systems including human kidney cancer and commercial traits in various agricultural species.
Following an undergraduate degree in Animal Biology at the University of St.Andrews, Nick was awarded his PhD through what was then the Zoology department of the University of Queensland, after travelling from England on a Britain-Australia Society funded Northcote Scholarship.
Availability
- Dr Nick Hudson is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
Research interests
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Productive, efficient farm animals
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Wildlife biology of butterflies and frogs
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Mitochondrial physiology
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Metabolism
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Flux analysis
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Agricultural resource utilisation
Research impacts
Nick is an active science communicator whose research has been disseminated through print, radio and television media.
He hopes to make an impact on agricultural resource utilisation through a better understanding of production animal feed efficiency, and to sustainable agriculture through an understanding of agro-ecology and wildlife biology.
Nick has a very active national and international network of collaborators from academe, government agencies and industry.
This collaborative network has provided stimulating insights into industrial problems and how novel technologies and innovative concepts may inspire creative solutions.
Works
Search Professor Nick Hudson’s works on UQ eSpace
Featured
2024
Journal Article
Dramatic genome-wide reprogramming of mRNA in hypometabolic muscle
Hudson, Nicholas J., Cramp, Rebecca L. and Franklin, Craig E. (2024). Dramatic genome-wide reprogramming of mRNA in hypometabolic muscle. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Part B: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 272 110952, 110952. doi: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2024.110952
Featured
2020
Journal Article
Unravelling student evaluations of courses and teachers
Reverter, Antonio, Martinez, Cristina, Currey, Phil, van Bommel, Severine and Hudson, Nicholas J. (2020). Unravelling student evaluations of courses and teachers. Cogent Education, 7 (1) 1771830, 1771830. doi: 10.1080/2331186X.2020.1771830
Featured
2014
Journal Article
Information compression exploits patterns of genome composition to discriminate populations and highlight regions of evolutionary interest
Hudson, Nicholas J., Porto-Neto, Laercio R., Kijas, James, McWilliam, Sean, Taft, Ryan J. and Reverter, Antonio (2014). Information compression exploits patterns of genome composition to discriminate populations and highlight regions of evolutionary interest. BMC Bioinformatics, 15 (Article ID.66) 66. doi: 10.1186/1471-2105-15-66
Featured
2009
Journal Article
A differential wiring analysis of expression data correctly identifies the gene containing the causal mutation
Hudson, Nicholas J., Reverter, Antonio and Dalrymple, Brian P. (2009). A differential wiring analysis of expression data correctly identifies the gene containing the causal mutation. PLoS Computational Biology, 5 (5) e1000382, e1000382. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000382
2024
Journal Article
An association weight matrix identified biological pathways associated with bull fertility traits in a multi‐breed population
Tan, Wei Liang Andre, Hudson, Nicholas James, Porto Neto, Laercio Ribeiro, Reverter, Antonio, Afonso, Juliano and Fortes, Marina Rufino Salinas (2024). An association weight matrix identified biological pathways associated with bull fertility traits in a multi‐breed population. Animal Genetics, 55 (4), 495-510. doi: 10.1111/age.13431
2024
Journal Article
How low can you go? Broiler breast muscle possesses a mitochondrial content of just 2%
Soumeh, Elham A., Bottje, Walter G. and Hudson, Nicholas J. (2024). How low can you go? Broiler breast muscle possesses a mitochondrial content of just 2%. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica A: Animal Sciences, 73 (1-2), 22-27. doi: 10.1080/09064702.2023.2262470
2023
Journal Article
Corrigendum to: Phenotypic variation in residual feed intake and relationship with body composition traits and methane emissions in growing wether lambs
Bond, J. J., Hudson, N. J., Khan, U. H., Dougherty, H. C., Pickford, Z., Mackenzie, S., Barzegar, S., Santos, G. A., Woodgate, S., Vercoe, P. and Oddy, V. H. (2023). Corrigendum to: Phenotypic variation in residual feed intake and relationship with body composition traits and methane emissions in growing wether lambs. Animal Production Science, 63 (17), 1804-1804. doi: 10.1071/an22425_co
2023
Journal Article
Red panda tourism gives hope in the mid‐mountain range of the Eastern Himalaya, yet inappropriate practices may lead to failure
Bista, Damber, Baxter, Greg S., Hudson, Nicholas J. and Murray, Peter John (2023). Red panda tourism gives hope in the mid‐mountain range of the Eastern Himalaya, yet inappropriate practices may lead to failure. Conservation Science and Practice, 5 (11) e13036. doi: 10.1111/csp2.13036
2023
Journal Article
Differential voluntary feed intake and whole transcriptome profiling in the hypothalamus of young sheep offered crude protein and phosphorus deficient diets
Innes, D. J., Hudson, N. J., Anderson, S. T., Poppi, D. P. and Quigley, S. P. (2023). Differential voluntary feed intake and whole transcriptome profiling in the hypothalamus of young sheep offered crude protein and phosphorus deficient diets. Animal, 17 (10) 100973, 100973. doi: 10.1016/j.animal.2023.100973
2023
Journal Article
Phenotypic variation in residual feed intake and relationship with body composition traits and methane emissions in growing wether lambs
Bond, J. J., Hudson, N. J., Khan, U. H., Dougherty, H. C., Pickford, Z., Mackenzie, S., Barzegar, S., Santos, G. A., Woodgate, S., Vercoe, P. and Oddy, V. H. (2023). Phenotypic variation in residual feed intake and relationship with body composition traits and methane emissions in growing wether lambs. Animal Production Science, 63 (17), 1705-1715. doi: 10.1071/an22425
2023
Conference Publication
Are production measures a good indication of pregnancy success?
McCosker, Kieren, Boulton, Alana, Dekkers, Milou, Ross, Elizabeth, Hudson, Nick and Fortes, Marina (2023). Are production measures a good indication of pregnancy success?. North Australian Beef Research Update Conference, Darwin, NT Australia, 22-25 August 2023.
2023
Journal Article
‘Spikeopathy’ part 1: COVID-19 spike protein is pathogenic, from both virus and vaccine mRNA
Parry, Peter I., Lefringhausen, Astrid, Turni, Conny, Neil, Christopher J., Cosford, Robyn, Hudson, Nicholas J. and Gillespie, Julian (2023). ‘Spikeopathy’ part 1: COVID-19 spike protein is pathogenic, from both virus and vaccine mRNA. Biomedicines, 11 (8) 2287, 1-50. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines11082287
2023
Journal Article
Multi-breed genomic predictions and functional variants for fertility of tropical bulls
Porto-Neto, Laercio R., Alexandre, Pamela A., Hudson, Nicholas J., Bertram, John, McWilliam, Sean M., Tan, Andre W. L., Fortes, Marina R. S., McGowan, Michael R., Hayes, Ben J. and Reverter, Antonio (2023). Multi-breed genomic predictions and functional variants for fertility of tropical bulls. PLoS One, 18 (1) e0279398, 1-19. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279398
2022
Journal Article
Taking a whole-of-system approach to food packaging reduction
Chakori, Sabrina, Russell, Richards, Smith, Carl, Hudson, Nicholas J. and Abdul Aziz, Ammar (2022). Taking a whole-of-system approach to food packaging reduction. Journal of Cleaner Production, 338 130632, 130632. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.130632
2022
Journal Article
Seasonal resource selection of an arboreal habitat specialist in a human-dominated landscape: a case study using red panda
Bista, Damber, Baxter, Greg S., Hudson, Nicholas J. and Murray, Peter J. (2022). Seasonal resource selection of an arboreal habitat specialist in a human-dominated landscape: a case study using red panda. Current Zoology, 69 (1), 1-11. doi: 10.1093/cz/zoac014
2021
Journal Article
Movement and dispersal of a habitat specialist in human-dominated landscapes: a case study of the red panda
Bista, Damber, Baxter, Greg S., Hudson, Nicholas J., Lama, Sonam Tashi, Weerman, Janno and Murray, Peter John (2021). Movement and dispersal of a habitat specialist in human-dominated landscapes: a case study of the red panda. Movement Ecology, 9 (1) 62, 62. doi: 10.1186/s40462-021-00297-z
2021
Journal Article
Effect of disturbances and habitat fragmentation on an arboreal habitat specialist mammal using GPS telemetry: a case of the red panda
Bista, Damber, Baxter, Greg S., Hudson, Nicholas J., Lama, Sonam Tashi and Murray, Peter John (2021). Effect of disturbances and habitat fragmentation on an arboreal habitat specialist mammal using GPS telemetry: a case of the red panda. Landscape Ecology, 37 (3), 1-15. doi: 10.1007/s10980-021-01357-w
2021
Journal Article
First record of Bengal Tiger, Panthera tigris tigris Linnaeus, 1758 (Felidae), in eastern Nepal
Bista, Damber, Lama, Sonam Tashi, Shrestha, Janam, Rumba, Yam Bahadur, Weerman, Janno, Thapa, Madhuri, Acharya, Haribhadra, Sherpa, Ang Phuri, Hudson, Nicholas J., Baxter, Greg S. and Murray, Peter John (2021). First record of Bengal Tiger, Panthera tigris tigris Linnaeus, 1758 (Felidae), in eastern Nepal. Check List, 17 (5), 1249-1253. doi: 10.15560/17.5.1249
2021
Journal Article
A conserved haplotype in Wagyu cattle contains RAB4A whose encoded protein regulates glucose trafficking in muscle and fat cells
Hudson, N. J., Porto-Neto, L., Naval-Sanchez, M., Lyons, R. E. and Reverter, Antonio (2021). A conserved haplotype in Wagyu cattle contains RAB4A whose encoded protein regulates glucose trafficking in muscle and fat cells. Animal Genetics, 52 (3), 275-283. doi: 10.1111/age.13054
2021
Journal Article
Improved trapping and handling of an arboreal, montane mammal: Red panda Ailurus fulgens
Bista, Damber, Lama, Sonam Tashi, Weerman, Janno, Sherpa, Ang Phuri, Pandey, Purushotam, Thapa, Madhuri Karki, Acharya, Haribhadra, Hudson, Nicholas J., Baxter, Greg S. and Murray, Peter John (2021). Improved trapping and handling of an arboreal, montane mammal: Red panda Ailurus fulgens. Animals, 11 (4) 921, 1-13. doi: 10.3390/ani11040921
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Nick Hudson is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Available projects
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Mitochondria and livestock feed efficiency
Some production animals utilise feed more efficiently for production than others, while some are able to maintain muscle mass, liveweight and productivity under periods of nutritional and environmental stress.
Why is this? The successful applicant will focus their research on the biology of the mitochondria and its role in determining metabolic efficiency in cattle.
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Frog and butterfly ecology
Projects regarding the fundamental biology and ecology of both frogs and butterflies are available.
Fieldwork will be based at Hiddenvale Research Station (https://hiddenvalewildlife.uq.edu.au/). There is a lot of scope for flexibility in project development so if you have any ideas - or even just a passion for - these two groups of animals please get in touch.
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Metabolism across species
Are you interested in growth, development and metabolism? Students are encouraged to get in touch with any of their own ideas in the broad area of animal biology. Projects can be developed collaboratively with other academics within and beyond AGFS so there is lots of scope for diversity and inter-disciplinary research.
We encourage students to develope their own ideas and projects. In our lab we use a range of metabolic and molecular tools such as gene expression, metabolic flux analysis and SNP genotyping that can be readily applied across species and biological circumstances.
You can learn how to handle and quantitate DNA and RNA, run an agarose gel, estimate gene expression by quantitative PCR and phenotype animal and plant cells in the state of the art XFe24 Flux analyser.
Remember, a new discovery is just round the corner!
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The interface between genomes and diet in ruminant farm animals
Livestock products provide a nutritious source of protein (and a range of other molecules including bioavailable iron and vitamin B12). More efficient production may be required to meet not only increasing demand but also greater awareness over welfare issues and environmental footprint.
Breeds and individual cattle and sheep can show substantial differences in how they respond to diets, with some animals more productive than others. The proposed research will investigate which parts of the genome underpin productivity in cattle and sheep.
Biochemical pathways relevant to the new science of nutrigenomics will be uncovered primarily through investigation of genome-wide gene expression data sets available for metabolically important tissues such as muscle, fat and liver.
Cutting edge bioinformatics tools including the latest approaches from network science will be deployed. This knowledge may help us understand why some animals fare better than others under given nutritional circumstances and perhaps inform decisions regarding diet formulation.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Cellular oxidative damage and ruminant feed efficiency
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Marina Fortes
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Doctor Philosophy
Using Systems Biology to understand the genetic basis of bull fertility phenotypes and their covariance
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Marina Fortes
Completed supervision
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Disturbance and fragmentation impacts movement ecology of a habitat specialist: conservation implications for red pandas
Principal Advisor
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2024
Doctor Philosophy
Pathogenesis and Epidemiology of Zoonotic Mosquito-borne Diseases in Horses
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Lee McMichael, Professor Joerg Henning, Dr Albert Sole Guitart
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Unpacking food systems: A systems approach to food packaging reduction
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Russell Richards, Associate Professor Ammar Abdul Aziz
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Intake regulation in ruminants consuming nutrient deficient diets
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Stephen Anderson
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2012
Doctor Philosophy
GENE EXPRESSION STUDIES IN BOVINE SKELETAL MUSCLE: INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE EFFECTS OF HORMONE GROWTH PROMOTANT TREATMENT, ENVIRONMENT AND TENDERNESS GENOTYPE ASSOCIATED WITH TENDERNESS AND MARBLING
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Ross Barnard
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2010
Doctor Philosophy
Metabolic depression in Cyclorana alboguttata and the potential role of the endogenous opioid system and thyroid axis as regulators of aestivation
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Craig Franklin
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2008
Doctor Philosophy
Effect of Prolonged Aestivation on Muscle Morphology and Biochemistry in the Green-Striped Burrowing Frog, Cyclorana Alboguttata
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Craig Franklin
Media
Enquiries
Contact Dr Nick Hudson directly for media enquiries about:
- feed efficiency
- flux analysis
- functional genomics
- mitochondria
- muscle growth
- production animals
Need help?
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