
Overview
Background
From a PhD in 1994 at the University of Queensland, Phil Hugenholtz developed a career in microbiology and genomics in the USA and in Australia. Phil’s last position in the USA was as Staff Scientist (2004-2010) at the Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute. In late 2010 Phil returned home to establish the Australian Centre for Ecogenomics (ACE) at the University of Queensland. He has contributed to the field of culture-independent analysis of microorganisms through the discovery and characterisation of numerous previously unrecognised major bacterial and archaeal lineages each with greater evolutionary divergence than animals and plants combined. Phil has played important roles in the development and application of metagenomics, the genome-based characterisation of microbiomes, which has revolutionised our understanding of microbial ecology and evolution. This has resulted in several discoveries in environmental and clinical microbiology sometimes overturning decades of misdirected culture-based studies. He has applied his interest in comparative genomics and metagenomics to develop a systematic genome-based taxonomy for bacteria and archaea, which is facilitating scientific communication and endeavour. Phil has published over four hundred papers on molecular microbial ecology and evolution.
As Professorial Research Fellow at UQ and Director of ACE, Phil has affiliate appointments with the Institute for Molecular Bioscience and the UQ Diamantina Institute, which supports collaborative research at ACE. Currently, Phil’s research interests include the microbial ecology and evolution of environmental and host-associated ecosystems including marsupial and insect guts, biomining, marine and genomic mapping of the microbial tree of life.
Current research includes:
- A Genome Taxonomy Database for the Kingdom Fungi
- Tracing the emergence of cellular complexity in the phylum Planctomycetota
- Dual-function ribonucleases: unexpected agents of antibiotic resistance
- Breaking critical barriers in soil formation of bauxite residues
- Changing the classification status quo with a global genome-based taxonomy
- GBR Microbial Genomic Database
In 2018, Phil co-founded a start-up company, Microba Life Sciences (microba.com), which is focused on metagenome-based diagnostics and therapeutics.
Phil received the Young Investigators Award from the International Society of Microbial Ecology (ISME) in 2016, was elected in 2012 as a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology (AAM), elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 2017, is a Member of the International Scientific Advisory Board (Fachbeirat) of the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen and is the outgoing President (2024-2026) of the International Society for Microbial Ecology (ISME). Phil has been a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher since 2014 and one of only ~300 researchers worldwide to be highly cited in two fields (Microbiology and Biology & Biochemistry) from 2019-2024.
Availability
- Professor Phil Hugenholtz is:
- Available for supervision
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor (Honours) of Science (Advanced), The University of Queensland
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
Research interests
-
Metagenomics
culture-independent sequence-based characterisation of microbial communities
-
Microbial diversity and evolution
with a focus on a systematic genome-based prokaryotic taxonomy
Research impacts
Phil has been at the forefront of major advances in molecular microbial ecology over the last 30 years, which now form the basis of this field. Our understanding of microbiology as a whole has been profoundly changed as a result of these advances. Beginning with the recognition that we have been ignorant of most microbial diversity due to a strong cultivation bias, he has systematically directed his research to characterise “microbial dark matter” with the ultimate goal of a holistic understanding of microbial evolution and ecology. He has made central contributions to this grand challenge in biology as evidenced by a series of landmark papers (57 Science & Nature series papers ) and he has established a premier research facility at The University of Queensland, the Australian Centre for Ecogenomics (ACE), dedicated to this mission.
Works
Search Professor Phil Hugenholtz’s works on UQ eSpace
2008
Journal Article
Environmental distribution and population biology of Candidatus Accumulibacter, a primary agent of biological phosphorus removal
Peterson, S. Brook, Warnecke, Falk, Madejska, Julita, McMahon, Katherine D. and Hugenholtz, Philip (2008). Environmental distribution and population biology of Candidatus Accumulibacter, a primary agent of biological phosphorus removal. Environmental Microbiology, 10 (10), 2692-2703. doi: 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2008.01690.x
2008
Journal Article
Microbiology: Metagenomics
Hugenhotz, Philip and Tyson, Gene W. (2008). Microbiology: Metagenomics. Nature, 455 (7212), 481-483. doi: 10.1038/455481a
2008
Journal Article
Evolution of Hyaluronic Acid Synthesis (has) Operon in Streptococcus zooepidemicus and other Pathogenic Streptococci
Lars M. Blank, Philip Hugenholtz and Nielsen, Lars K. (2008). Evolution of Hyaluronic Acid Synthesis (has) Operon in Streptococcus zooepidemicus and other Pathogenic Streptococci. Journal of Molecular Evolution, 67 (1), 13-22. doi: 10.1007/s00239-008-9117-1
2008
Journal Article
Millimeter-scale genetic gradients and community-level molecular convergence in a hypersaline microbial mat
Kunin, Victor, Raes, Jeroen, Harris, J. Kirk, Spear, John R., Walker, Jeffrey J., Ivanova, Natalia, Von Mering, Christian, Bebout, Brad M., Pace, Norman R., Bork, Peer and Hugenholtz, Philip (2008). Millimeter-scale genetic gradients and community-level molecular convergence in a hypersaline microbial mat. Molecular Systems Biology, 4 (1) 198, 198. doi: 10.1038/msb.2008.35
2008
Journal Article
A korarchaeal genome reveals insights into the evolution of the Archaea
Elkins, James G., Podar, Mircea, Graham, David E., Makarova, Kira S., Wolf, Yuri, Randau, Lennart, Hedlund, Brian P., Brochier-Armanet, Celine, Kunin, Victor, Anderson, Iain, Lapidus, Alla, Goltsman, Eugene, Barry, Kerrie, Koonin, Eugene V., Hugenholtz, Philip, Kyrpides, Nikos, Wanner, Gerhard, Richardson, Paul, Keller, Martin and Stetter, Karl O. (2008). A korarchaeal genome reveals insights into the evolution of the Archaea. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 105 (23), 8102-8107. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0801980105
2008
Journal Article
The minimum information about a genome sequence (MIGS) specification
Field, Dawn, Garrity, George, Gray, Tanya, Morrison, Norman, Selengut, Jeremy, Sterk, Peter, Tatusova, Tatiana, Thomson, Nicholas, Allen, Michael J., Angiuoli, Samuel V., Ashburner, Michael, Axelrod, Nelson, Baldauf, Sandra, Ballard, Stuart, Boore, Jeffrey, Cochrane, Guy, Cole, James, Dawyndt, Peter, De Vos, Paul, dePamphilis, Claude, Edwards, Robert, Faruque, Nadeem, Feldman, Robert, Gilbert, Jack, Gilna, Paul, Glockner, Frank Oliver, Goldstein, Philip, Guralnick, Robert, Haft, Dan ... Wipat, Anil (2008). The minimum information about a genome sequence (MIGS) specification. Nature Biotechnology, 26 (5), 541-547. doi: 10.1038/nbt1360
2008
Journal Article
CRISPR - A widespread system that provides acquired resistance against phages in bacteria and archaea
Sorek, R, Kunin, V and Hugenholtz, P (2008). CRISPR - A widespread system that provides acquired resistance against phages in bacteria and archaea. Nature Reviews Microbiology, 6 (3), 181-186. doi: 10.1038/nrmicro1793
2008
Journal Article
A bacterial metapopulation adapts locally to phage predation despite global dispersal
Kunin, V., He, S., Warnecke, F., Peterson, S. B., Martin, H. G., Haynes, M., Ivanova, N., Blackall, L. L., Breitbart, M., Rohwer, F., McMahon, K. D. and Hugenholtz, P. (2008). A bacterial metapopulation adapts locally to phage predation despite global dispersal. Genome Research, 18 (2), 293-297. doi: 10.1101/gr.6835308
2008
Journal Article
IMG/M: A data management and analysis system for metagenomes
Markowitz, Victor M., Ivanova, Natalia N., Szeto, Ernest, Palaniappan, Krishna, Chu, Ken, Dalevi, Daniel, Chen, I-Min A., Grechkin, Yuri, Dubchak, Inna, Anderson, Iain, Lykidis, Athanasios, Mavromatis, Konstantinos, Hugenholtz, Philip and Kyrpides, Nikos C. (2008). IMG/M: A data management and analysis system for metagenomes. Nucleic Acids Research, 36 (Supp. 1), D534-D538. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkm869
2008
Conference Publication
Annotation of metagenome short reads using proxygenes
Dalevi, Daneil, Ivanova, Natalia N., Mavromatis, Konstantinos, Hooper, Sean D., Szeto, Ernest, Hugenholtz, Philip, Kyrpides, Nikos C. and Markowitz, Victor M. (2008). Annotation of metagenome short reads using proxygenes. Joint Meeting of the 7th European Conference on Computational Biology and the 5th Meeting of the Bioinformatics Italian Society (ECCB 2008), Cagliari, Italy, 22-26 September 2008. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btn276
2007
Journal Article
Metagenomic and functional analysis of hindgut microbiota of a wood-feeding higher termite
Warnecke, Falk, Luginbuehl, Peter, Ivanova, Natalia, Ghassemian, Majid, Richardson, Toby H., Stege, Justin T., Cayouette, Michelle, McHardy, Alice C., Djordjevic, Gordana, Aboushadi, Nahla, Sorek, Rotem, Tringe, Susannah G., Podar, Mircea, Martin, Hector Garcia, Kunin, Victor, Dalevi, Daniel, Madejska, Julita, Kirton, Edward, Platt, Darren, Szeto, Ernest, Salamov, Asaf, Barry, Kerrie, Mikhailova, Natalia, Kyrpides, Nikos C., Matson, Eric G., Ottesen, Elizabeth A., Zhang, Xinning, Hernandez, Myriam, Murillo, Catalina ... Leadbetter, Jared R. (2007). Metagenomic and functional analysis of hindgut microbiota of a wood-feeding higher termite. Nature, 450 (7169), 560-565. doi: 10.1038/nature06269
2007
Journal Article
Automated group assignment in large phylogenetic trees using GRUNT: GRouping, ungrouping, naming tool
Dalevi, Daniel, DeSantis, Todd Z., Fredslund, Jakob, Andersen, Gary L., Markowitz, Victor M. and Hugenholtz, Philip (2007). Automated group assignment in large phylogenetic trees using GRUNT: GRouping, ungrouping, naming tool. BMC Bioinformatics, 8 (1) 402. doi: 10.1186/1471-2105-8-402
2007
Journal Article
Characterization of filamentous bacteria, belonging to candidate phylum KSB3, that are associated with bulking in methanogenic granular sludges
Yamada, Takeshi, Yamauchi, Toshihiro, Shiraishi, Koji, Hugenholtz, Philip, Ohashi, Akiyoshi, Harada, Hideki, Kamagata, Yoichi, Nakamura, Kazunori and Sekiguchi, Yuji (2007). Characterization of filamentous bacteria, belonging to candidate phylum KSB3, that are associated with bulking in methanogenic granular sludges. The ISME Journal, 1 (3), 246-255. doi: 10.1038/ismej.2007.28
2007
Journal Article
Dissecting biological "dark matter" with single-cell genetic analysis of rare and uncultivated TM7 microbes from the human mouth
Marcy, Yann, Ouverney, Cleber, Bik, Elisabeth M., Losekann, Tina, Ivanova, Natalia, Martin, Hector Garcia, Szeto, Ernest, Platt, Darren, Hugenholtz, Philip, Relman, David A. and Quake, Stephen R. (2007). Dissecting biological "dark matter" with single-cell genetic analysis of rare and uncultivated TM7 microbes from the human mouth. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 104 (29), 11889-11894. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0704662104
2007
Journal Article
CRISPR Recognition Tool (CRT) : A tool for automatic detection of clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats
Bland, Charles, Ramsey, Teresa L., Sabree, Fareedah, Lowe, Michael, Brown, Kyndall, Kyrpides, Nikos C. and Hugenholtz, Philip (2007). CRISPR Recognition Tool (CRT) : A tool for automatic detection of clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats. BMC Bioinformatics, 8 (1) 209, 209-1-209-8. doi: 10.1186/1471-2105-8-209
2007
Journal Article
Use of simulated data sets to evaluate the fidelity of metagenomic processing methods
Mavromatis, Konstantinos, Ivanova, Natalia, Barry, Kerry, Shapiro, Harris, Goltsman, Eugene, McHardy, Alice C., Rigoutsos, Isidore, Salamov, Asaf, Korzeniewski, Frank, Land, Miriam, Lapidus, Alla, Grigoriev, Igor, Richardson, Paul, Hugenholtz, Philip and Kyrpides, Nikos C. (2007). Use of simulated data sets to evaluate the fidelity of metagenomic processing methods. Nature Methods, 4 (6), 495-500. doi: 10.1038/nmeth1043
2007
Other Outputs
Bringing large-scale multiple genome analysis one step closer: ScalaBLAST and beyond
Oehmen, Christopher S., Sofia, Heidi J., Baxter, Douglas, Szeto, Ernest, Hugenholtz, Philip, Kyrpides, Nikos, Markowitz, Victor and Straatsma, Tjerk P. (2007). Bringing large-scale multiple genome analysis one step closer: ScalaBLAST and beyond. Oak Ridge, TN, United States: Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI). doi: 10.2172/960403
2007
Journal Article
Integrating ecology into biotechnology
McMahon, KD, Martin, HG and Hugenholtz, P (2007). Integrating ecology into biotechnology. Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 18 (3), 287-292. doi: 10.1016/j.copbio.2007.04.007
2007
Journal Article
Loss of bacterial diversity during antibiotic treatment of intubated patients colonized with Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Flanagan, J. L., Brodie, E. L., Weng, L., Lynch, S. V., Garcia, O., Brown, R., Hugenholtz, P., DeSantis, T. Z., Andersen, G. L., Wiener-Kronish, J. P. and Bristow, J. (2007). Loss of bacterial diversity during antibiotic treatment of intubated patients colonized with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 45 (6), 1954-1962. doi: 10.1128/JCM.02187-06
2007
Journal Article
Increasing focus on environmental biotechnology in the face of pressing environmental challenges
Hugenholtz, Philip and Ron, Eliora Z. (2007). Increasing focus on environmental biotechnology in the face of pressing environmental challenges. Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 18 (3), 235-236. doi: 10.1016/j.copbio.2007.05.004
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Phil Hugenholtz is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Available projects
-
Dual-function ribonucleases: unexpected agents of antibiotic resistance
Bacterial pathogens use a group of enzymes called metallo-β-lactamases (or MBLs) that enable them to be multi-drug resistant. Our project aims to determine how MBLs have evolved from harmless and widespread ribonucleases, both deep in the past and potentially very recently in response to modern use of antibiotics. These insights will provide valuable functional and structural information that will enable the development of urgently needed strategies to combat β-lactam antibiotic resistance.
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Characterization of Uncultured Basal Clades of Planctomycetota
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Kate Bowerman
-
Doctor Philosophy
Extant and Evolutionary Analysis of Uncultured Bacterial Lineages Phylogenetically Affiliated with the Orders Rickettsiales and Mycoplasmatales
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Kate Bowerman
-
Doctor Philosophy
Changing the prokaryotic classification status quo with a global genome-based taxonomy
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mikael Boden
-
Doctor Philosophy
Use of structural phylogeny and reconciliation in molecular phylogenetics
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor David Ascher, Dr Kate Bowerman
-
Doctor Philosophy
Exploration of the Genome Taxonomy Database at the Species and Subspecies Level
Principal Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
Diversity, ecology and biotechnological potential of chain elongating microorganisms from natural and engineered ecosystems
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Paul Evans, Dr Kate Bowerman
-
Doctor Philosophy
Changing the prokaryotic classification status quo with a global genome-based taxonomy
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mikael Boden
-
Doctor Philosophy
Protein structure guided precision medicine
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Stephanie Portelli, Professor David Ascher
-
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding the metabolic capabilities and evolutionary relatiosnhips of novel microorganisms from hot springs
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Cheong Xin Chan, Dr Paul Evans
-
Doctor Philosophy
The Role of Bacterially Induced Inflammation in Squamous Cell Carcinoma Development
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mark Morrison, Dr Debottam Sinha, Dr Janin Chandra, Professor Ian Frazer
-
Doctor Philosophy
Functionalisation of Metalloproteins and Applications in Biotechnology
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Gary Schenk
-
Doctor Philosophy
Evolution of an efficient antibiotic resistance mechanism from a common enzymatic fold.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Gary Schenk
-
Doctor Philosophy
Building a better understanding of acetogen's metabolism
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Kate Bowerman, Dr Paul Evans
-
Doctor Philosophy
Identification and characterisation of virally-encoded, antibiotic-degrading metalloenzymes
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Gary Schenk
-
Doctor Philosophy
Dual-function ribonucleases: unexpected agents of antibiotic resistance
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mikael Boden
Completed supervision
-
2024
Doctor Philosophy
Extant and Evolutionary Analysis of Uncultured Bacterial Lineages Phylogenetically Affiliated with the Orders Rickettsiales and Mycoplasmatales
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Kate Bowerman
-
2021
Doctor Philosophy
Classification and functional characterisation of the murine gut bacterial family Muribaculaceae
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Antiopi Varelias
-
2021
Doctor Philosophy
A phylogenomic investigation of the largely uncharacterised Firmicutes classes, Dehalobacteriia and TC1
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Ulrike Kappler
-
2020
Doctor Philosophy
Exploring a Genome-Based Taxonomy for Tailed Double-Stranded DNA Viruses
Principal Advisor
-
2016
Doctor Philosophy
Molecular Investigation of Australian Termites and their Gut Symbionts
Principal Advisor
-
2015
Doctor Philosophy
Investigation of root and associated soil microbiomes of sugarcane and other plants
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Susanne Schmidt
-
-
2024
Doctor Philosophy
The Role of Bacterially Induced Inflammation in Squamous Cell Carcinoma Development
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mark Morrison, Dr Debottam Sinha, Dr Janin Chandra, Professor Ian Frazer
-
2024
Doctor Philosophy
The ecology and evolution of non-photosynthetic Cyanobacteria
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Paul Evans
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
Culture-independent exploration of microbial dark matter with a focus on Asgardarchaeota
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Paul Evans
-
2017
Doctor Philosophy
Functional and comparative studies of members of the genus Methanosphaera, and their adaptations to the gut environment
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mark Morrison
-
2017
Doctor Philosophy
Microbial Community Structure and Functionality in Ruminants Fed the Probiotic Bacillus amyloliquefaciens H57
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Peter Dart
-
2017
Doctor Philosophy
Viral/bacterial respiratory tract co-infections in children
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Keith Chappell
-
2016
Doctor Philosophy
Moving targets: Microevolution of pathogenic species within the laboratory and the human host
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor James Fraser
-
2015
Doctor Philosophy
Molecular characterisation of microbial communities involved in coal bed methane production
Associate Advisor
-
2015
Doctor Philosophy
Molecular characterisation of microbial communities involved in nitrate-driven anaerobic oxidation of methane
Associate Advisor
-
2014
Doctor Philosophy
Microbial Ecology of Fermentative Microbes in Anaerobic Granules
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Damien Batstone, Associate Professor Paul Jensen
-
-
2013
Master Philosophy
The characterisation of the microbiome of the demosponge Amphimedon queenslandica reveals host immune responses to changes in the symbiotic bacterial community
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Bernard Degnan, Professor Sandie Degnan
Media
Enquiries
For media enquiries about Professor Phil Hugenholtz's areas of expertise, story ideas and help finding experts, contact our Media team: