Find an expert

Dr Odette Leiter is a postdoctoral research fellow in the research group of Dr Tara Walker, investigating systemic brain rejuvenation. She was awarded a PhD in Neuroscience in 2018 by the Technische Universität Dresden in Germany. Her research focus lies on the regulation of adult hippocampal neurogenesis by physical exercise, a process critically involved in learning and memory.

To support her research at the Queensland Brain Institute, Dr Odette Leiter has received two postdoctoral fellowships, a postdoctoral fellowship from the German Academic Exchange Service, followed by a Walter Benjamin Fellowship awarded by the German Research Foundation, allowing her to investigate the role of platelets in mediating neurogenesis-related learning and memory, and the capacity of platelet-released factors to restore cognitive function in ageing. More recently, Dr Leiter has been awarded a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) to investigate the precise mechanisms through which platelets interact with adult hippocampal neural stem cells following exercise.

Andrew is a population biologist in the School of Biological Sciences. A broad goal of his research is to understand the effect of environmental variability on the stability of ecological communities. At the same time, in order to deliver on this broader goal, he is working to scale up understanding from simple tractable systems to the more complex dynamics of real world-systems.

Before joining UQ, he was a Marie Curie fellow working with Jonathan Levine and Alex Hall at ETH Zurich (2018-2020), a postdoctoral fellow in Daniel Stouffer's lab at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand (2017-2018), and a CEHG (Centre for Computational, Evolutionary and Human Genomics) postdoctoral fellow in Tad Fukami's lab at Stanford University, USA (2015-2017). He did his PhD (2011-2015) with David Keith in the Centre for Ecosystem Science at UNSW Australia.

Dr. Joan Li is a Senior Lecturer and a Research Fellow with an established national and international reputation at The University of Queensland. She holds both an MD and a PhD, blending clinical and scientific expertise, which provides her with a unique perspective on research and education. While establishing an emerging profile in medical education, she maintains engagement in discipline-related biomedical research through collaboration and supervision.

With over seven years of teaching experience, Joan has actively engaged in face-to-face teaching in biomedical science and medicine courses, contributed to curriculum design, development, and course coordination for both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. She brings her strong analytical skills and critical thinking abilities, honed through her medical and biomedical research background, to her teaching practices. Driven by a genuine passion for teaching, Joan continuously strives for excellence, with specific interests in assessment, curriculum design, development and student learning experience. She has implemented innovative teaching methods, designed diverse and inclusive curricula, created new learning activities, and fostered student engagement as learning partners, with a consistent goal of improving curriculum quality and enhancing student learning outcomes.

Leveraging her medical knowledge, extensive experience in biomedical research, and growing understanding of medical education, Joan is committed to developing medical students into critical thinkers and lifelong learners with a genuine appreciation for medical practice and medical research, enabling them to better serve an ever-changing society. Drawing upon her extensive experience in developmental biology and physiology, particularly in cardiac and renal research, Joan actively supervises higher degree research students and continues to make significant contributions to discipline-related research through publications and collaborations.

Dr. Joan Li is a versatile academic professional with a rich background in biomedical research and an emerging presence in medical education research. Her dedication to teaching and learning, combined with her impressive track record in both disciplines, makes her a valuable asset to The University of Queensland and the broader academic community.

Dr. Li has been making noteworthy strides as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Queensland since June 2023, demonstrating his broad expertise in environmental science. His current research endeavors are focused on soil organic carbon, mentored by the university's esteemed soil research group.

His scholarly journey was rooted in Shandong University, where he acquired a Bachelor's degree in Soil Science (2011-2015). His intellectual curiosity drove him to the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, where he accomplished a Master's degree in Soil Ecology (2015-2018) and later a Ph.D. in 2022. Simultaneously, he pursued a second Ph.D. at Griffith University from 2020 to 2023. This rigorous academic pathway led him to a brief but enriching Postdoctoral tenure at the Technical University of Denmark from February to May 2023.

Dr. Li's research portfolio is a testament to his intellectual versatility and commitment. It encompasses a variety of critical environmental issues, ranging from sustainable livelihoods for pastoralists in grassland ecosystems to geospatial pattern analysis, grassland degradation management, soil organic carbon studies, and wood decay fungi and community ecology. He also excels in employing bibliometric/scientometric and machine learning analysis in ecological studies. With such a wide gamut of expertise, Dr. Li stands at the nexus of several environmental science disciplines, poised to make substantial contributions.

In recognition of his academic excellence, Dr. Li has earned prestigious accolades. He received the Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad in 2021, ranking him among the top 500 worldwide. The following year, he was distinguished with the President's Award for Excellence from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, positioning him in the top 400 recipients.

Junxian Lim is an accomplished molecular biologist at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience. With a strong background in cell biology, protein biochemistry, and pharmacology, he has established himself in the field. Collaborating with researchers at universities, institutions, as well as international industry partners like AstraZeneca and Sosei Heptares, he has contributed significantly to advancing scientific knowledge.

Throughout his doctoral studies, Junxian authored seven ground-breaking studies focused on the development of novel bioactive inhibitors targeting immune cells and inflammatory diseases. These contributions have paved the way for innovative approaches to drug development. Utilizing his expertise, he has successfully developed and characterized a diverse range of protein and cellular assays that enable in-depth investigations into immunity and inflammation. His research findings have been published in prestigious scientific journals, including Nature Communications, Cell Reports, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Diabetes, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, and the British Journal of Pharmacology. His work has been highly cited, reflecting its impact and significance within the scientific community.

Recognized for his outstanding mentoring abilities, Junxian has supervised or co-supervised the research of two completed PhD students, six completed MPhil students, and three completed Honours students. The success of his former students is a testament to his dedication and guidance. They continue to excel and actively contribute to research endeavours around the world, spanning countries such as Australia, Singapore, Korea, India, Japan, and China.

Beyond his research and mentoring achievements, Junxian actively participates in the scientific community. He serves on the editorial boards of esteemed journals like Journal of Translational Medicine, Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences and Biology. This involvement allows him to stay at the forefront of scientific advancements and contribute to the dissemination of knowledge within his field.

Dr. Guoquan Liu has more than ten years experience in sorghum tissue culture and genetic transformation. He developed a highly efficient sorghum particle transformation system in 2012. Since then, hundreds of transgenic plants have been regenerated from tens of constructs that are invoved in plant disease resistant genes (e.g. Lr34), report gene (gfp), specific-promoters (e.g. alpha- beta- kafirin, A2, LSG), G proteins etc.. He has trained many students how to transform sorghum including honor students, master students, and PhD students.

He has focused on improving sorghum grain yield and grain quality through biotechnologies including genetic transformation, genome-editing, synthetic biology, and plant apomixis.

Bio

Dr. Yang Liu is an evolutionary geneticist, currently working at the University of Queensland (UQ) as a Research Fellow. Prior to UQ, he obtained a PhD from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and did a postdoc research at UBC and University of Cambridge. He is broadly interested in the eco-evolutionary dynamics of plant populations that have undergone environmental heterogeneity over spatiotemporal scales. The goal of his research is to increase our understanding of the impacts of major episodes in plant demography and life histories on trait evolution and to foster sustainability. He tackles research questions at the interface between ecology and evolutionary biology with the integration of population genetics and quantitative genomics to elucidate the ecological and genetic basis of phenotypic traits and biological adaptation.

Currently, he leverages available Arabidopsis natural accessions across its geographic distribution range, coupled with their genomic data, to perform common-garden and divergent selection experiments. From these he aims to dissect features of the genetic architecture of traits and to reveal their relationships to environmental conditions. He is focusing on the shoot branching phenotype and its associated traits including flowering timing.

ECO-EVO-GENOMICS TEAM

Three PhD positions available in 2023-2025

Ongoing Projects

Project 1: Unification of selection and inheritance informs adaptive potential for generations to come (Applications open in 2023; CLOSED)

Natural selection acts on phenotypes and produces immediate phenotypic effects within a generation. In this short-term process, some phenotypes are more successful than others. Use of single traits for selection analysis could generate opposing outcomes and cannot predict how selection operates on an organism. In contrast, multivariate selection in trait combinations utilizes the attribute of functional integrations to reveal how selection works in a multi-dimensional trait space. Selection is an important force driving evolution but not equal to evolution; the latter leads to changes in genetic variation. Only through assessment of the evolutionary responses of phenotypes can we understand the transmission of such selection from one generation to the next. How does selection occurring within a generation affect evolution across generations? In the project, we aim to address the question by unifying the two processes to forecast evolutionary potential in relation to selection. To that end, we partition genetic variance into components based on an experimental design, employ experimental evolution to estimate additive genetic variance-covariances (G) on quantitative scales and evaluate G-matrix evolution. We eventually hope to elucidate how populations subjected to artificial selection move along evolutionary trajectories and whether there are genetic constraints making the fitness optimum evolutionarily inaccessible.

Project 2: Genetic and ecological bases of shoot branching divergence across Arabidopsis species-wide accessions (Applications open in 2024; CLOSED)

Spatial patterns of genetic variation are shaped by environmental factors, topological features, and dispersal barriers. As a result, we often can identify population genetic structure stratified by geographic locations or ecological niches, the drivers of population isolation by distance or the environment, clinal genetic variation over space in alignment with gradually varying environment gradients, and adaptive genetic variation in relation to environmental variables. At the ecological level, assembly rules uncover the coordination of phenotypic traits along environmental clines. Tradeoffs between traits represent the consequence of environmental filters and reflect adaptation to environmental heterogeneity. For example, three fundamental adaptive strategies are delineated by a CSR theory, that is, Competitors, Stress-tolerators, and Ruderals. As such, ways of genetic and phenotypic assemblage over space and throughout time point to a role for natural selection driven by spatially varying environmental conditions to maintain genetic variation that confers natural variation in phenotypes. In this project, we focus on an important agronomic trait – shoot branching – due to its important contribution to the overall shoot architecture of a plant and being a potential target for yield optimization. We aim to dissect features of the genetic architecture of the trait and to reveal its relationships to environmental conditions. We integrate geographic, environmental, and genomic data from the 1001 Arabidopsis Genomes Project, coupled with the branching phenotype measured in selected accessions and then forecasted for the rest of the 1001 accessions using machine-learning models, to investigate the ecological relevance and genetic underpinnings of branching divergence across the Arabidopsis species-wide accessions. Our study has implications for enhancing our understanding of the genetic and ecological basis of shoot branching divergence and the potential for generating novel knowledge for improving phenotypic predictability.

Project 3: Dimensionality, modularity, and integration: Insights from the architecture features of pan-genomes, pan-transcriptome, pan-epigenomes, and pan-chromatin (applications open in 2025) Application Portal ALSO ACCEPTING EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FROM INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS

Organisms are functionally integrated systems, where interactions among phenotypic traits make the whole more than the sum of its parts. How is a suite of traits assembled into an adaptive module? How is an intramodule rewired to form a regulatory network? What is the persistence and stability of a module under exposures to perturbations triggered by altered interactions between the response to disparate environmental conditions or between the responses of multiple traits to the same environment? What constrains modules to vary independently, reflecting the integration and canalization of evolutionary trajectories? In this project, we utilize a compilation of pan-genomes, pan-transcriptome, pan-epigenomes, and pan-chromatin resources of Arabidopsis thaliana to uncover how dimensionality, modularity, and integration are organized at different omics levels including genetic polymorphisms, structural variants, RNA isoforms, expression abundance, epigenetic imprinting, and chromatin accessibility. Ultimately, we apply such functional elements to multivariate genomic selection, in the hope of enhancing multilayered omics-enabled prediction.

Dr. Lord leads the Spectroscopy Lab at the School of the Environment, the University of Queensland. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on developing novel, rapid next-generation surveillance and diagnostic tools using infrared light and artificial intelligence. These tools are designed for detecting pathogens in humans and the environment and for characterizing disease-carrying vectors such as mosquitoes.

During the Zika epidemic, Dr. Lord pioneered the application of infrared spectroscopy for rapid Zika virus detection in mosquitoes, achieving results in less than 10 seconds. In 2022, in collaboration with the Australian Defence Force and Instituto Oswaldo Cruz in Brazil, she led a team that demonstrated for the first time that infrared light and AI could detect malaria through the skin—eliminating the need for blood samples.

As a Chief Investigator, Dr. Lord has secured research funding from several funding bodies including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID, NHMRC, AQIRF, and Grand Challenges Canada to develop rapid tools for large-scale disease surveillance. With her recent funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, she is developing a smart trap for Ross River virus surveillance in partnership with Queensland Health.

Dr. Lord has published over 60 research works, and presented her findings at over 30 international conferences. Her groundbreaking research has been featured in hundreds of media outlets worldwide. Her contributions to global health have earned her numerous academic accolades, including being named a Fellow of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in 2024.

Beyond research, Dr. Lord leads the STEM Spotlight program, a STEM mentorship initiative that provides a safe and engaging space for students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. The program encourages students from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue careers in STEM while providing them the opportunity to be part of the STEM community in a safe space. In recognition of this work, she was awarded the Diversity and Inclusion Champion Award (2023) by the Department of Multicultural Affairs. Dr Lord has served/serves on numerous committees including the Australian of the year selection Committee (2023), the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Scientific Committee, Young investigator award committee (ASTMH), Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee (UQ).Between 2021-2024 she served as the vice president of African Professionals of Australia (QLD).

Current Research interests:

Vectors that transmit diseases including but not limited to mosquitoes, Triatomine species, ticks

Large scale surveillance tools for Vector-borne disease

Professor Lovelock's research focusses on the influence of environmental change, including climate change, on the ecology of coastal and marine plant communities and in providing knowledge to underpin conservation and restoration of these ecosystems now and in the future.

Over 5 years of experience in translational biomedical research, specialising in monoclonal antibody-based therapies, immuno-oncology, target discovery and theranostics in cancer. My main research focus is on targeted cancer therapies, understanding how target receptor endocytosis affects antibody drug conjugate (ADC) and radioligand therapy delivery, immune-mediated ADCC, and how combination therapies with immune checkpoint inhibitors can potentially improve therapeutic outcomes for patients.

Professor Stephen Mahler is a Senior Group Leader at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology and Director of the Australian Research Council Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation (CBI), University of Queensland. Professor Mahler is a biotechnologist with a focus on R&D of recombinant-DNA derived protein biopharmaceuticals, drug delivery systems and nanomedicines. Professor Mahler has a record of translational research success and engages extensively with industry associated with the biomedical sciences both nationally and internationally.

Research within CBI covers three thematic research areas; discovery of new biopharmaceuticals, engineering cells for production of protein-based biopharmaceuticals and advanced manufacturing for industrial production. A current research interest is at the interface of the life sciences and materials science, using a synthetic biology approach for creating novel therapeutic entities as well as new systems for drug delivery.

Professor Mahler has a strong interest in education and training and was formerly Head of the Chemical and Biological Engineering Plan at the University of Queensland (2010-2016). Other educational initiatives include development of Masters Programs and a Continuing Professional Development program in the area of biopharmaceuticals. The CPD program is available to stakeholders in the industry, both in Australia and internationally.

Prof Tim Mahony joined QAAFI’s Centre for Animal Science in October 2010, after 15 years of conducting research projects with the Queensland Government. He obtained his PhD from James Cook University in the area of molecular microbiology. During 2001 and 2002, Prof Mahony was a visiting professor at the University of Saskatchewan.

Research interests

Dr Mahony’s research interests are in the area of molecular virology revolving around improving viral disease control in production animals such as cattle and poultry. His group is characterising the molecular interactions between invading pathogens and the subsequent host responses with the goal of developing new vaccines and diagnostic technologies. A key component of this work includes improving the basic understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underpin and drive viral virulence and evolution. Next-generation sequencing has been used to sequence the genomes of herpesviruses and adenoviruses from a variety of species including, cattle, chickens, marsupials, horses, and crocodiles. Prof Mahony’s team is also investigating the role of virally encoded microRNAs in virulence, replication, and disease development. His group was one of the first in the world to apply bacterial artificial chromosome infectious clone technology for the efficient manipulation of herpesviruses that have large DNA genomes. These strategies are also being exploited to understand viral gene function and the development of vaccines.

Currently, Prof Mahony is researching risk factors that protect and predispose feedlot cattle to developing bovine respiratory disease (BRD). He is also leading the development of new vaccines for BRD and cattle tick infestations. Prof Mahony has also led the development of new vaccine delivery technologies for the poultry industry targeting the application of in ovo strategies. Prof Mahony research into improving animal health is increasing industry productivity, food safety, and consumer confidence in food products and he is keen to explore collaborations with other scientists in this area.

Prof Mahony has a strong interest to work with post-graduate students and has supervised a number of post-graduate students from Australia and overseas. These projects have covered research areas in molecular virology, animal health, vaccine development, and pathogen-host interactions.