Overview
Background
Karen is a Senior Research Fellow at QAAFI, University of Queensland, where she leads a research group dedicated to advancing crop improvement through cutting-edge genomic and biotechnological approaches. Her team applies targeted and precise genetic manipulation to unravel complex biological systems and translate these discoveries into innovative breeding programs. Currently, her research focuses on modulating crop developmental patterning to enhance abiotic stress tolerance, with the long-term goal of developing high-performing crops tailored for specific environments. The group is actively expanding its research portfolio to include crops such as sorghum, barley, tropical pasture grasses, and both tropical and temperate legumes. Karen is a passionate advocate for biotechnology, championing both GM and gene-edited plants to promote sustainable crop and food production.
Availability
- Dr Karen Massel is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor (Honours) of Science (Advanced), University of Ottawa
- Doctor of Philosophy of Agricultural Biotechnology, The University of Queensland
Research interests
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Improving CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology for crops
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Studying traits in elite grasses using biotechnological tools
Works
Search Professor Karen Massel’s works on UQ eSpace
2026
Conference Publication
Dissecting genetic and environmental regulation of flowering to enable climate-resilient mungbean breeding
Dudley, Caitlin, Van Haeften, Shanice, Alahmad, Samir, Dinglasan, Eric, Hickey, Lee, Robinson, Hannah, Beveridge, Christine, Udvardi, Michael, Noble, Thomas, Massel, Karen, Dun, Elizabeth and Smith, Millicent (2026). Dissecting genetic and environmental regulation of flowering to enable climate-resilient mungbean breeding. 5th International Legume Society Conference, Dubrovnik, Croatia, 8-12 June 2026.
2026
Journal Article
FUL1 is a key regulator of grain morphology, stem development and other shoot characteristics in Sorghum bicolor L. Moench
Lam, Yasmine T. D., Massel, Karen, Godwin, Ian D. and Borrell, Andrew K. (2026). FUL1 is a key regulator of grain morphology, stem development and other shoot characteristics in Sorghum bicolor L. Moench. aBIOTECH, 7 (2) 100021, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.abiote.2026.100021
2026
Journal Article
Simulating the impact of recombination rate on genomic selection breeding outcomes
Boyny, Zsa Zsa, Lester, Nicholas, Massel, Karen, Powell, Owen, Snowdon, Rod and Weber, Sven (2026). Simulating the impact of recombination rate on genomic selection breeding outcomes. G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics, 16 (5) jkag049. doi: 10.1093/g3journal/jkag049
2026
Journal Article
Working with the grain: uncovering sorghum quality regulatory networks
López-Gómez, Carla F., Massel, Karen and Godwin, Ian D. (2026). Working with the grain: uncovering sorghum quality regulatory networks. Journal of Experimental Botany, 77 (8), 2139-2141. doi: 10.1093/jxb/erag108
2026
Book Chapter
CRISPR-Cas-Mediated Gene Editing in Sorghum: Recent Advances, Challenges, and Prospects
Wang, Zhifang, Massel, Karen, Wang, Jinping, Jiao, Zhiyin, Godwin, Ian, Lv, Peng and Liu, Guoquan (2026). CRISPR-Cas-Mediated Gene Editing in Sorghum: Recent Advances, Challenges, and Prospects. Sustainability Sciences in Asia and Africa. (pp. 293-330) Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981-95-6722-5_11
2025
Journal Article
Time to flowering and flowering duration in mungbean are unrelated physiological traits with independent genetic controls
Dudley, Caitlin, Van Haeften, Shanice, Alahmad, Samir, Dinglasan, Eric, Hickey, Lee T., Robinson, Hannah, Beveridge, Christine, Udvardi, Michael, Noble, Thomas, Massel, Karen, Dun, Elizabeth A. and Smith, Millicent R. (2025). Time to flowering and flowering duration in mungbean are unrelated physiological traits with independent genetic controls. Journal Of Experimental Botany, 76 (18) eraf222, 5528-5541. doi: 10.1093/jxb/eraf222
2025
Journal Article
CEPR1 function across plant lineages: peptide hormone recognition by cereal crop orthologs and developmental roles in barley
Taylor, Katia, Dixon, Richard, Taleski, Michael, Hintzsche, Jessica, Aldiss, Zachary, Massel, Karen, Robinson, Hannah, Gagliardini, Valeria, Grossniklaus, Ueli, Godwin, Ian, Hickey, Lee and Djordjevic, Michael Anthony (2025). CEPR1 function across plant lineages: peptide hormone recognition by cereal crop orthologs and developmental roles in barley. Journal of Experimental Botany, 76 (20), 5861-5876. doi: 10.1093/jxb/eraf316
2025
Journal Article
Haplotype‐based insights into seminal root angle in barley
Aldiss, Zachary, Lam, Yasmine, Baraibar, Silvina, Van Der Meer, Sarah, Dinglasan, Eric, Massel, Karen, Crisp, Peter, Godwin, Ian, Borrell, Andrew, Moody, David, Hickey, Lee and Robinson, Hannah (2025). Haplotype‐based insights into seminal root angle in barley. The Plant Genome, 18 (3) e70088, 1-15. doi: 10.1002/tpg2.70088
2025
Journal Article
The PIN2 ortholog in barley modifies root gravitropism and architecture
Aldiss, Zachary, Lam, Yasmine, Robinson, Hannah, Dixon, Richard, Steinhardt, Laura, Crisp, Peter, Godwin, Ian, Borrell, Andrew, Hickey, Lee and Massel, Karen (2025). The PIN2 ortholog in barley modifies root gravitropism and architecture. The Plant Genome, 18 (3) e70061, e70061. doi: 10.1002/tpg2.70061
2025
Journal Article
Decoding PDI diversity: insights into structure, domains, and functionality in sorghum
López-Gómez, Carla F., Morris, Marc T., Massel, Karen, Smith, Millicent, Crisp, Peter, Schenk, Gerhard and Godwin, Ian D. (2025). Decoding PDI diversity: insights into structure, domains, and functionality in sorghum. Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal, 27, 3328-3336. doi: 10.1016/j.csbj.2025.07.035
2025
Conference Publication
Genotype x environment interactions affecting flowering time and flowering duration in mungbean
Dudley, Caitlin, Van Haeften, Shanice, Dun, Elizabeth, Alahmad, Samir, Dinglasan, Eric, Massel, Karen, Udvardi, Michael, Beveridge, Christine, Robinson, Hannah, Hickey, Lee and Smith, Millicent (2025). Genotype x environment interactions affecting flowering time and flowering duration in mungbean. Society of Experimental Biology Conference, Antwerp, Belgium, 8-11 July 2025.
2025
Journal Article
Decoding PDI diversity: insights into structure, domains, and functionality in sorghum
López-Gómez, Carla F., Morris, Marc T., Massel, Karen, Smith, Millicent, Crisp, Peter, Schenk, Gerhard and Godwin, Ian D. (2025). Decoding PDI diversity: insights into structure, domains, and functionality in sorghum. doi: 10.1101/2025.06.06.658324
2025
Conference Publication
Harnessing genetic diversity to improve grain legume production in current and future climates
Smith, Millicent, Dudley, Caitlin, Van Haeften, Shanice, Alahmad, Samir, Dinglasan, Eric, Hickey, Lee, Robinson, Hannah, Beveridge, Christine, Udvardi, Michael, Noble, Thomas, Massel, Karen and Dun, Elizabeth (2025). Harnessing genetic diversity to improve grain legume production in current and future climates. 17th Australasian Plant Breeding Conference, Perth, WA, Australia, 4-6 June 2025.
2025
Journal Article
An accelerated transgene-free genome editing system using microparticle bombardment of sorghum immature embryos
Zhang, Yan, Cheng, Ming, Massel, Karen, Godwin, Ian D. and Liu, Guoquan (2025). An accelerated transgene-free genome editing system using microparticle bombardment of sorghum immature embryos. aBIOTECH, 6 (2), 202-214. doi: 10.1007/s42994-025-00204-9
2024
Conference Publication
Genotype x environment interactions affecting flowering time and flowering duration in mungbean
Dudley, Caitlin, Van Haeften, Shanice, Dun, Elizabeth, Alahmad, Samir, Dinglasan, Eric, Massel, Karen, Udvardi, Michael, Beveridge, Christine, Robinson, Hannah, Hickey, Lee and Smith, Millicent (2024). Genotype x environment interactions affecting flowering time and flowering duration in mungbean. 11th International Conference on Legume Genetics and Genomics, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 30 September-3 October 2024.
2024
Conference Publication
Opportunities to improve grain legumes for future climates
Smith, Millicent, Dudley, Caitlin, Van Haeften, Shanice, Alahmad, Samir, Dinglasan, Eric, Robinson, Hannah, Beveridge, Christine, Udvardi, Michael, Noble, Thomas, Massel, Karen, Dun, Elizabeth and Hickey, Lee (2024). Opportunities to improve grain legumes for future climates. 11th International Conference on Legume Genetics and Genomics, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 30 September-3 October 2024.
2023
Conference Publication
Exploring the basis of flowering behaviour in mungbean to guide crop improvement
Dudley, Caitlin, Dun, Elizabeth, Massel, Karen, Beveridge, Christine, Hickey, Lee, Udvardi, Michael and Smith, Millicent (2023). Exploring the basis of flowering behaviour in mungbean to guide crop improvement. Australian Society of Plant Scientists Conference, Hobart, TAS, Australia, 28 November-1 December 2023.
2023
Journal Article
Metabarcoding airborne pollen from subtropical and temperate eastern Australia over multiple years reveals pollen aerobiome diversity and complexity
Campbell, B. C., Van Haeften, S., Massel, K., Milic, A., Al Kouba, J., Addison-Smith, B., Gilding, E. K., Beggs, P. J. and Davies, J. M. (2023). Metabarcoding airborne pollen from subtropical and temperate eastern Australia over multiple years reveals pollen aerobiome diversity and complexity. Science of the Total Environment, 862 160585, 1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160585
2022
Journal Article
CRISPR-knockout of β-kafirin in sorghum does not recapitulate the grain quality of natural mutants
Massel, Karen, Hintzsche, Jessica, Restall, Jemma, Kerr, Edward D., Schulz, Benjamin L. and Godwin, Ian D. (2022). CRISPR-knockout of β-kafirin in sorghum does not recapitulate the grain quality of natural mutants. Planta, 257 (1) 8, 1-14. doi: 10.1007/s00425-022-04038-3
2022
Conference Publication
New technologies to accelerate mungbean improvement
Van Haeften, Shanice, Dudley, Caitlin, Douglas, Colin, Udvardi, Michael, Massel, Karen, Beveridge, Christine, Robinson, Hannah, Hickey, Lee, Potgieter, Andries and Smith, Millicent (2022). New technologies to accelerate mungbean improvement. Queensland Legume Symposium, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 22 July 2022.
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Karen Massel is:
- Available for supervision
Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.
Available projects
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Honours/MSc - Gene editing to manipulate inflorescence development and boost yield
Grain sorghum is the fifth most important cereal crop worldwide and is a staple food for over half a billion people worldwide. Although it has many inherent drought and heat tolerance traits which make it an important crop for global food security efforts, its widespread use as a food/feed crop are curbed by its low yields and grain quality. This project is utilising new breeding technologies such as CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing to improve our understanding of floret and panicle architecture in an attempts to boost yields. Previous research into studying genes involved in stem cell development and maintenance have shown that through targeted modifications, reserachers can have significant boosts to yield through tweaking the expression by targeting the promtoer region of major target genes. We currently have mutant knockout lines that show a promising fasciated phenotype, and we believe through targeting the promoter of these genes we can reduce the deleterious effects of a complete knockout and create mutant sorghum varieties wtih improved yield.
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Honours/MSc - Gene editing of elite grass species
Developing tissue culture and gene editing systems for elite grass species will provide the framework to perform a variety of experiments for a range of industries, and can have a huge impact for sustainable living. Providing a mechanism for quick genetic gains could provide councils with climate-adapted grass that use less water or fertiliser, or producing non-allergenic varieties that reduce the levels of hayfever that is often triggered through exposure of grass pollens. Alternatively, developing a system could help produce better forage feed for pasture grasses that would provide a superior feed for a range of animals for more sustainable animal production.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Improving meiotic recombination frequency in sorghum using gene editing
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Ian Godwin, Dr Will Shaffer
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Doctor Philosophy
Next-Generation Precision Breeding for Tropical Grasses
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Albert Wong
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Doctor Philosophy
Expediting genetic gains in faba bean using new breeding strategies
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Brett Ferguson, Dr Eric Dinglasan
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Doctor Philosophy
Exploring the physiological and molecular basis of flowering in mungbean
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Elizabeth Dun, Professor Christine Beveridge, Professor Lee Hickey, Professor Michael Udvardi, Dr Millicent Smith
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Doctor Philosophy
Nitrogen use dynamics in high protein gene edited sorghum
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Peter Crisp, Dr Millicent Smith, Professor Ian Godwin
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Doctor Philosophy
Modification of root system architecture to increase climate resilience in barley
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Lee Hickey, Dr Hannah Robinson, Professor Ian Godwin
Completed supervision
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2026
Doctor Philosophy
Harnessing natural genetic variation and genome engineering to optimise barley root systems
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Ian Godwin, Dr Hannah Robinson, Dr Peter Crisp, Professor Lee Hickey
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2025
Doctor Philosophy
Development of efficient genome editing technologies for crop improvement
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jimmy Botella
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Building Blocks for Designer Ideotypes: Dissecting Plant Architecture Genes using CRISPR/Cas9
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Erik Van Oosterom, Professor Lee Hickey, Professor Ian Godwin
Media
Enquiries
Contact Dr Karen Massel directly for media enquiries about:
- Biotechnology
- CRISPR/Cas9
- Gene Editing
- Genetic modification
- GMOs
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