Dr Rhys Parry
Dr

Rhys Parry

Email: 

Background

I am a molecular virologist and ARC DECRA Fellow at the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, where I am Deputy Team Leader of the Infection and Immunity theme. My research focuses on RNA virus evolution, host immunity, and RNA technologies for vaccines and therapeutics, linking four connected themes:

  • Virus discovery and evolution: identifying and characterising novel viruses across diverse hosts using metatranscriptomics, phylogenetics, and comparative genomics, with particular focus on orthoflaviviruses and orthomyxoviruses
  • Host–virus interactions: understanding how innate immune and RNAi pathways shape infection outcomes in mammalian and arthropod systems
  • Reverse genetics: developing CPER-based systems, reporter viruses, and replicons for mechanistic virology and rapid hypothesis testing
  • RNA platforms: engineering self-amplifying RNA to tune stability, expression, and immune sensing for vaccines and therapeutics

I completed my PhD (2016–2021) at UQ's School of Biological Sciences under Prof. Sassan Asgari, where I characterised the virome of Aedes mosquitoes and their interactions with the endosymbiont Wolbachia. In 2021, I joined Prof. Alexander Khromykh's RNA Virology Laboratory at SCMB. There, I contributed to the development of the SARS-CoV-2 CPER reverse-genetics system and have worked routinely with PC3 pathogens, including West Nile virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, and SARS-CoV-2. In 2026, I commenced an ARC DECRA Fellowship to investigate how modified nucleotides shape RNA structure, immune sensing, and function in next-generation RNA technologies. My current work is funded by the ARC and NHMRC.

I provide bioinformatics and phylogenetics support within UQ and internationally, and welcome collaborations involving small RNA analysis, virus discovery and metatranscriptomics.

I served on the organising committee of MicroSeq (2023–2025), an Australasian conference promoting microbial sequencing research by early-career researchers. I am the Communications Officer for ASM Queensland (2024–) and an incoming Committee of Management member for the Australasian Virology Society (2026–).

Availability

Dr Rhys Parry is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Bioinformatics and computational biology Biological Sciences Genetics Genomics Microbiology Molecular evolution Virology

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science, The University of Queensland
  • Bachelor (Honours) of Science (Advanced), The University of Queensland
  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland

Research interests

  • Development of self-replicating RNA vaccines and therapeutics.

  • Flavivirus evolution and diversity.

  • Interferon-antagonistic activities of amino acid residues in the West Nile virus capsid protein identified by deep mutational scanning.

Research impacts

My research contributes to vaccine development, public health preparedness, and the translation of RNA technologies into clinical applications.

Reverse genetics platform with global adoption. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I helped develop the circular polymerase extension reaction (CPER), a reverse-genetics system enabling rapid recovery of RNA viruses. CPER has since been adopted by 16 research groups across 8 countries and used to recover over 25 RNA viruses spanning 7 viral families, including SARS-CoV-2, influenza, dengue, and respiratory syncytial virus, and is used routinely to generate vaccine candidates for human and veterinary applications.

Virus discovery and pandemic preparedness

  • Discovered and characterised over 35 novel viruses and contributed to collaborative efforts identifying approximately 300 more, including parahenipaviruses, flaviviruses, and influenza-like viruses, across diverse hosts—work that advances understanding of viral emergence and zoonotic risk
  • Applied phylogenetic and comparative genomic analyses to inform vaccine antigen design for flaviviruses and henipaviruses (MRFF EMCR Grant 2022–2025)

Public engagement and combating misinformation

  • Provide expert commentary on virology and emerging infectious diseases to media and fact-checking organisations, including the Australian Associated Press and Health Feedback (Meta)

Search Professor Rhys Parry’s works on UQ eSpace

62 works between 2018 and 2025
All (62) Journal Article (61) Other Outputs (1)

1 - 20 of 62 works

2025

Journal Article

Global transcriptional reprogramming by cytomegalovirus infection suppresses MHC class II antigen presentation while enhancing migration machinery in murine dendritic cells

Parry, Rhys H, McMillan, Christopher L D, Bruce, Kimberley L and Farrell, Helen E (2025). Global transcriptional reprogramming by cytomegalovirus infection suppresses MHC class II antigen presentation while enhancing migration machinery in murine dendritic cells. Microbial genomics, 11 (11) 001563. doi: 10.1099/mgen.0.001563

Global transcriptional reprogramming by cytomegalovirus infection suppresses MHC class II antigen presentation while enhancing migration machinery in murine dendritic cells

2025

Journal Article

Mounting evidence for an expanded host range of influenza B viruses

Koutsakos, Marios, Parry, Rhys H. and Wille, Michelle (2025). Mounting evidence for an expanded host range of influenza B viruses. Viruses, 17 (12) 1528, 1528. doi: 10.3390/v17121528

Mounting evidence for an expanded host range of influenza B viruses

2025

Journal Article

Genomic analysis of Androctonus mauritanicus toursvirus: first evidence of Ascoviridae in arachnids

El Ghoubali, Douae, Parry, Rhys H., Pirro, Stacy, Hamdi, Salsabil, Habib, Nihal, El Jaoudi, Rachid, Bousta, Dalila, Barrijal, Said, Nejjari, Chakib, Al Idrissi, Najib, Belyamani, Lahcen and Ghazal, Hassan (2025). Genomic analysis of Androctonus mauritanicus toursvirus: first evidence of Ascoviridae in arachnids. Virus genes, 61 (6), 733-741. doi: 10.1007/s11262-025-02197-5

Genomic analysis of Androctonus mauritanicus toursvirus: first evidence of Ascoviridae in arachnids

2025

Journal Article

A roadmap for equitable reuse of public microbiome data

Hug, Laura A., Hatzenpichler, Roland, Moraru, Cristina, Soares, André R., Meyer, Folker, Heyder, Anke, Zwirzitz, B., Ziels, R. M., Zhu, J., Zhang, Y., Xiu, W., Wu, M., Woyke, T., Worden, A. Z., Williams, T. A., Williams, C. L., Wichels, A., Weissman, J. L., Weiss, L. C., Weir, T., Wegner, C. E., Wang, Y., Wang, S., Walsh, C. J., Wagner, M., von Meijenfeldt, F. A.B., Vierheilig, J., Vázquez-Campos, X., Valentin-Alvarado, L. E. ... Probst, Alexander J. (2025). A roadmap for equitable reuse of public microbiome data. Nature Microbiology, 10 (10), 2384-2395. doi: 10.1038/s41564-025-02116-2

A roadmap for equitable reuse of public microbiome data

2025

Journal Article

Vaccine-induced and hybrid immunity against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in two cohorts in Queensland, Australia (2021-2022)

Parry, Rhys H., Shang, Yingjun, Sng, Julian D. J., McMillan, Christopher L. D., Modhiran, Naphak, Amarilla, Alberto A., Isaacs, Ariel, Liang, Benjamin, Muller, David A., Rawle, Daniel J., Suhrbier, Andreas, Anderson, Stevie, Kelly, Samuel, Watterson, Daniel, Burr, Lucy D. and Khromykh, Alexander A. (2025). Vaccine-induced and hybrid immunity against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in two cohorts in Queensland, Australia (2021-2022). Journal of Medical Virology, 97 (10) e70642, 1-15. doi: 10.1002/jmv.70642

Vaccine-induced and hybrid immunity against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in two cohorts in Queensland, Australia (2021-2022)

2025

Journal Article

Transcriptomic response of mosquitoes to Japanese encephalitis virus and identification of its potential entry factors

Hussain, Mazhar, Etebari, Kayvan, Parry, Rhys H., Khromykh, Alexander A., Hugo, Leon E. and Asgari, Sassan (2025). Transcriptomic response of mosquitoes to Japanese encephalitis virus and identification of its potential entry factors. npj Viruses, 3 (1) 68, 68-1. doi: 10.1038/s44298-025-00151-8

Transcriptomic response of mosquitoes to Japanese encephalitis virus and identification of its potential entry factors

2025

Journal Article

A nanobody-based therapeutic targeting Nipah virus limits viral escape

Isaacs, Ariel, Nieto, Guillermo Valenzuela, Zhang, Xinghai, Modhiran, Naphak, Barr, Jennifer, Thakur, Nazia, Low, Yu Shang, Parry, Rhys H., Barnes, James B., Jara, Ronald, Himelreichs, Johanna, Yao, Yanfeng, Deride, Camila, Barthou-Gatica, Barbara, Salinas-Rebolledo, Constanza, Ehrenfeld, Pamela, Hen, Jun Jet, Hayes, Noah, Paramitha, Devina, Morgan, Mahali S., McMillan, Christopher L. D., Jones, Martina L., Munro, Trent P., Khromykh, Alexander A., Reading, Patrick C., Young, Paul R., Chappell, Keith J., Shi, Yi, Bailey, Dalan ... Watterson, Daniel (2025). A nanobody-based therapeutic targeting Nipah virus limits viral escape. Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, 32 (10), 1920-1931. doi: 10.1038/s41594-025-01598-2

A nanobody-based therapeutic targeting Nipah virus limits viral escape

2025

Journal Article

Tunicate metatranscriptomes reveal evidence of ancient co-divergence between viruses and their hosts

Petrone, Mary E., Grove, Joe, Parry, Rhys H., Van Brussel, Kate, Mifsud, Jonathon C.O., Dindar, Zuhairah, Mei, Shi-qiang, Shi, Mang, Turnbull, Olivia M.H., Marzinelli, Ezequiel M. and Holmes, Edward C. (2025). Tunicate metatranscriptomes reveal evidence of ancient co-divergence between viruses and their hosts. Current Biology, 35 (13), 3035-3047. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.05.032

Tunicate metatranscriptomes reveal evidence of ancient co-divergence between viruses and their hosts

2025

Journal Article

Twelfth scientific biennial meeting of the Australasian Virology Society: AVS12 2024

Monson, Ebony A., Loterio, Robson K., Roby, Justin A., Adhikari, Anurag, Bull, Rowena A., Carr, Jill M., Chatzileontiadou, Demetra S. M., Cheng, Colin X., Coulibaly, Fasséli, Davis, Samantha K., Deerain, Joshua M., Douglas, Mark W., Drummer, Heidi E., Eyre, Nicholas S., Freppel, Wesley, Gowripalan, Anjali, Grant, Emma J., Gras, Stephanie, Guthmiller, Jenna J., Herrero, Lara J., Hesping, Eva, Horsburgh, Bethany A., Hyde, Jennifer L., Koutsakos, Marios, Mackenzie, Jason M., Mahar, Jackie E., McCoullough, Laura C., McMillan, Christopher L. D., Modhiran, Naphak ... Tate, Michelle D. (2025). Twelfth scientific biennial meeting of the Australasian Virology Society: AVS12 2024. Journal of Virology, 99 (5), e0225524. doi: 10.1128/jvi.02255-24

Twelfth scientific biennial meeting of the Australasian Virology Society: AVS12 2024

2025

Journal Article

Discovery of additional genomic segments reveals the fluidity of jingmenvirus genomic organisation

Valle, Coralie, Parry, Rhys H., Coutard, Bruno and Colmant, Agathe M. G. (2025). Discovery of additional genomic segments reveals the fluidity of jingmenvirus genomic organisation. Virus Evolution, 11 (1) veaf023, 1-15. doi: 10.1093/ve/veaf023

Discovery of additional genomic segments reveals the fluidity of jingmenvirus genomic organisation

2025

Journal Article

The catalytic tetrad of Aedes aegypti Argonaute 2 is critical for the antiviral activity of the exogenous siRNA pathway

Dummunee, Krittika, Parry, Rhys H., Redecke, Lars, Varjak, Margus, Brennan, Benjamin, Kohl, Alain and McFarlane, Melanie (2025). The catalytic tetrad of Aedes aegypti Argonaute 2 is critical for the antiviral activity of the exogenous siRNA pathway. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 301 (4) 108332, 108332. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2025.108332

The catalytic tetrad of Aedes aegypti Argonaute 2 is critical for the antiviral activity of the exogenous siRNA pathway

2025

Journal Article

Skin patch delivery of a SARS-CoV-2 Spike DNA vaccine produces broad neutralising antibody responses

McMillan, Christopher L.D., Corner, Andrea V., Wijesundara, Danushka K., Choo, Jovin J.Y., Pittayakhajonwut, Daraporn, Poredi, Indrajeet, Parry, Rhys H., Bindra, Guneet K., Bruce, Kimberley, Khromykh, Alexander A., Fernando, Germain J.P., Dapremont, Laurent, Young, Paul R. and Muller, David A. (2025). Skin patch delivery of a SARS-CoV-2 Spike DNA vaccine produces broad neutralising antibody responses. Heliyon, 11 (4) e42533, e42533. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e42533

Skin patch delivery of a SARS-CoV-2 Spike DNA vaccine produces broad neutralising antibody responses

2025

Journal Article

The PAZ domain of Aedes aegypti Dicer 2 is critical for accurate and high-fidelity size determination of virus-derived small interfering RNAs

Reuter, Melinda, Parry, Rhys H., McDonald, Melanie, Gestuveo, Rommel J., Arif, Rozeena, Khromykh, Alexander A., Brennan, Benjamin, Varjak, Margus, Castello, Alfredo, Redecke, Lars, Schnettler, Esther and Kohl, Alain (2025). The PAZ domain of Aedes aegypti Dicer 2 is critical for accurate and high-fidelity size determination of virus-derived small interfering RNAs. RNA, 31 (5), 679-691. doi: 10.1261/rna.080149.124

The PAZ domain of Aedes aegypti Dicer 2 is critical for accurate and high-fidelity size determination of virus-derived small interfering RNAs

2025

Journal Article

Henipavirus in northern short-tailed shrew, Alabama, USA

Parry, Rhys H., Yamada, KayLene Y.H., Hood, Wendy R., Zhao, Yang, Lu, Jinlong Y., Seluanov, Andrei, Gorbunova, Vera, Modhiran, Naphak, Watterson, Daniel and Isaacs, Ariel (2025). Henipavirus in northern short-tailed shrew, Alabama, USA. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 31 (2), 392-394. doi: 10.3201/eid3102.241155

Henipavirus in northern short-tailed shrew, Alabama, USA

2025

Journal Article

Author Correction: A roadmap for equitable reuse of public microbiome data (Nature Microbiology, (2025), 10, 10, (2384-2395), 10.1038/s41564-025-02116-2)

Hug, Laura A., Hatzenpichler, Roland, Moraru, Cristina, Soares, André R., Meyer, Folker, Heyder, Anke, Zwirzitz, B., Ziels, R. M., Zhu, J., Zhang, Y., Xiu, W., Wu, M., Woyke, T., Worden, A. Z., Williams, T. A., Williams, C. L., Wichels, A., Weissman, J. L., Weiss, L. C., Weir, T., Wegner, C. E., Wang, Y., Wang, S., Walsh, C. J., Wagner, M., von Meijenfeldt, F. A.B., Vierheilig, J., Vázquez-Campos, X., Valentin-Alvarado, L. E. ... Probst, Alexander J. (2025). Author Correction: A roadmap for equitable reuse of public microbiome data (Nature Microbiology, (2025), 10, 10, (2384-2395), 10.1038/s41564-025-02116-2). Nature Microbiology. doi: 10.1038/s41564-025-02212-3

Author Correction: A roadmap for equitable reuse of public microbiome data (Nature Microbiology, (2025), 10, 10, (2384-2395), 10.1038/s41564-025-02116-2)

2024

Journal Article

The RNA interference response to alphanodavirus replication in Phlebotomus papatasi sand fly cells

Alexander, Akira J. T., Parry, Rhys H., Ratinier, Maxime, Arnaud, Frédérick and Kohl, Alain (2024). The RNA interference response to alphanodavirus replication in Phlebotomus papatasi sand fly cells. Insect Molecular Biology, 33 (6), 687-696. doi: 10.1111/imb.12932

The RNA interference response to alphanodavirus replication in Phlebotomus papatasi sand fly cells

2024

Journal Article

Dicer-2 mutations in Aedes aegypti cells lead to a diminished antiviral function against Rift Valley fever virus and Bunyamwera virus infection

Dornbusch, Susann, Reuter, Melinda, Parry, Rhys H., Stern, Michael, Becker, Stefanie C. and Schnettler, Esther (2024). Dicer-2 mutations in Aedes aegypti cells lead to a diminished antiviral function against Rift Valley fever virus and Bunyamwera virus infection. Journal of General Virology, 105 (11) 002046. doi: 10.1099/jgv.0.002046

Dicer-2 mutations in Aedes aegypti cells lead to a diminished antiviral function against Rift Valley fever virus and Bunyamwera virus infection

2024

Journal Article

No evidence that mutations in SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern derive from homologous fragments in gut microbiota

Parry, Rhys H., Lytras, Spyros, Petrone, Mary E., Wille, Michelle, Crits-Christoph, Alexander, Gifford, Robert J., Saito, Akatsuki, Smura, Teemu and Peacock, Thomas P. (2024). No evidence that mutations in SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern derive from homologous fragments in gut microbiota. Journal of Virology, 98 (12), 1-2. doi: 10.1128/jvi.01468-24

No evidence that mutations in SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern derive from homologous fragments in gut microbiota

2024

Journal Article

Synthetic recovery of Yada Yada virus expands insect-specific alphavirus knowledge and facilitates production of chimeric viruses

Bell, Mikaela G., Parry, Rhys H., Lee, Tricia S. E., Habarugira, Gervais, McMahon, Isabella E., Thompson, Madeline A., Modhiran, Naphak, Watterson, Daniel, Batovska, Jana, Lynch, Stacey E., Hall, Roy A., Harrison, Jessica J. and Hobson-Peters, Jody (2024). Synthetic recovery of Yada Yada virus expands insect-specific alphavirus knowledge and facilitates production of chimeric viruses. npj Viruses, 2 (1) 45, 1-14. doi: 10.1038/s44298-024-00052-2

Synthetic recovery of Yada Yada virus expands insect-specific alphavirus knowledge and facilitates production of chimeric viruses

2024

Journal Article

Diverse RNA viruses of parasitic nematodes can elicit antibody responses in vertebrate hosts

Quek, Shannon, Hadermann, Amber, Wu, Yang, De Coninck, Lander, Hegde, Shrilakshmi, Boucher, Jordan R., Cresswell, Jessica, Foreman, Ella, Steven, Andrew, LaCourse, E. James, Ward, Stephen A., Wanji, Samuel, Hughes, Grant L., Patterson, Edward I., Wagstaff, Simon C., Turner, Joseph D., Parry, Rhys H., Kohl, Alain, Heinz, Eva, Otabil, Kenneth Bentum, Matthijnssens, Jelle, Colebunders, Robert and Taylor, Mark J. (2024). Diverse RNA viruses of parasitic nematodes can elicit antibody responses in vertebrate hosts. Nature Microbiology, 9 (10), 2488-2505. doi: 10.1038/s41564-024-01796-6

Diverse RNA viruses of parasitic nematodes can elicit antibody responses in vertebrate hosts

Current funding

  • 2026 - 2028
    Better RNA: modified nucleotides for next-generation RNA technologies.
    ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award
    Open grant
  • 2025 - 2028
    Lost in translation: why flaviviruses induce cleavage of tRNAs
    NHMRC IDEAS Grants
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2023 - 2025
    Broad-spectrum vaccine design for flaviviruses and henipaviruses
    NHMRC MRFF EMCR - Early to Mid-Career Researchers
    Open grant

Availability

Dr Rhys Parry is:
Available for supervision

Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.

Supervision history

Current supervision

Enquiries

Contact Dr Rhys Parry directly for media enquiries about:

  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Virology
  • Virus evolution

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