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Originally from Ireland, Rebecca Dunlop completed her BSc (Honours) degree in Environmental Biology followed by her PhD in fish neuroethology, both from The Queen’s University of Belfast. She migrated Australia in 2004 to undertake a post-doc in humpback whale social communication at UQ. This research resulted in a number of highly cited papers, solidifying her international reputation as a leader and expert in large whale communication and social behaviour. She then began lecturing in the School of Veterinary Science in 2010, mainly in animal physiology and moved to the School of the Environment in 2021 to take up a lecturing position in animal behaviour and physiology.

Research

Rebecca's research interests are in animal physiology, behaviour, and communication. She mainly works on humpback whales, though has worked on bottlenose dolphins, beaked whales, pilot whales, and false killer whales. Her lab focuses on four main research areas: cetacean acoustic communication, hearing, and behaviour; the effects of noise on humpback communication, behaviour, and physiology; humpback whale social behaviour; and endocrine physiology in cetaceans. Her past and current PhD students and honours students all work within these core research areas.

She has been a P.I in several large collaborative projects aimed at determining the effects of noise on large whale behaviour and hearing in large whales. Understanding underwater noise impacts on marine mammals is a scientific area that is growing due to interest from the Navy, Oil and Gas companies, the vessel industry and from other ocean stakeholders such as whale watching companies. As part of this, she led the first humpback whale hearing experiments funded by the U.S Navy.

Her current work relates to offshore wind farm developments and their potential effects on recovering marine mammal populations, developing a reliable acoustic whale deterrent device for shark and fishing nets, and assessing, and mitigating for, the collision risk between migrating humpback whales and shipping.

Birgitta Ebert’s research focuses on developing biotechnology concepts to address critical challenges such as pollution, climate change and overexploitation of natural resources.

She specializes in improving microbial catalysts for eco-friendly chemical and material production by leveraging metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, systems analysis, and modelling. Her goal is to create microbial cell factories that convert renewable resources and waste into valuable products, reducing reliance on petrochemicals. She collaborates closely with chemists and chemical engineers to enhance the integration of chemical and biological processes for improved efficiency and sustainability.

Birgitta has a background in Chemical Engineering and a PhD in Systems Biotechnology from TU Dortmund University (Germany). She led a research group in Systems Metabolic Engineering at the Institute of Applied Microbiology at RWTH Aachen University (Germany) from 2012 to 2019. In 2016, she expanded her expertise in Synthetic Biology by joining the Keasling lab at the University of California in Berkeley and the Joint BioEnergy Institute in Emeryville (USA).

Since April 2019, she has been at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at the University of Queensland, applying her expertise to engineer microbial cell factories for fermentation-based manufacturing.

Genetics of mental health (new research)

We are using the genetic model organism, C. elegans, do investigate the genetic basis of both normal and disordered behaviour. Our current interests are identifying the genes responsible for anxiety and depression as well as the genes for eating disoders and addiction. Using C. elegans as a model organism will also allow us to study gene function as it relates to behaviour.

Molecular mechanisms of phosphine resistance (other research)

Genetic mapping of oxidative stress resistance genes. The fumigant phosphine disrupts oxidative metabolism, resulting in the production of reactive oxygen intermediates. This causes the premature ageing and death of targeted pests. Insect pests of stored grain in Australia now exhibit resistance to phosphine at levels more than 200 times the normal lethal dose.

We have genetically mappedf and identified the genes responsible for phosphine resistance in tall major insect pests of stored grain. We are using a systems biology approach in the model organism C. elegans to understand the molecular basis of phosphine action. Our genetic studies have recently shown that resistance to phosphine is associated with an extension of lifespan

Dr Daniel Edge-Garza is a horticulture and crop geneticist at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation at the University of Queensland, Australia. His research interests are to develop and translate tools using genome-wide DNA information for breeders and growers to make meaningful decisions. Daniel’s PhD awarded by the University of Queensland in 2024 focused on identifying global G x E patterns to assist with improved germplasm-environment matching for commercial deployment. Before joining QAAFI, he obtained his Bachelor's Degree in Biological Sciences in 2005 and Master's Degree in Biotechnology in 2009 both at California State University, Fresno. From 2008, he worked as a faculty associate in research for tree fruit breeding at Washington State University becoming recognized worldwide for his efforts to streamline the deployment of DNA tests for pome and stone fruit breeding programs. He has also collaborated with the Genome Database for Rosaceae since 2018 to curate genomics data and train breeders on how to upload and access their data on the Breeding Information Management System.

Dr Bill Ellis is an ecological researcher based in the School of The Environment. He gained a BSc with honours in Zoology at The Australian National University and holds a Master of Environmental Law from the same institution. Bill graduated with a PhD in Zoology from The University of Queensland in 1998 and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at San Diego Zoo's Centre for Research on Endangered Species in 2011.

I am an entomologist with a research interest focused on studying host-pathogen interactions and discovering insect-specific viruses. I have investigated gene expression and the role of small non-coding RNAs in various host-pathogen models, particularly in crucial agricultural pests and medically significant vectors like the Aedes aegypti, responsible for transmitting dengue and Zika viruses. My previous project, aimed at exploring the function of Oryctes rhinoceros nudivirus in the biological control of the coconut rhinoceros beetle in the Pacific Islands, has substantially enhanced our comprehension of this invasive pest within the framework of an offshore biosecurity strategy. By establishing industry partnerships and securing funding to improve the Australian sugar industry, one of Australia's largest agricultural sectors, I have been able to focus on entomopathogenic viruses that affect root-feeding pests in sugarcane.

David Evans is an NHMRC Leadership Fellow and Professor of Statistical Genetics at the University of Queensland Institute for Molecular Bioscience. He is a winner of the NHMRC Marshall and Warren Award.

He completed his PhD in Statistical Genetics at the University of Queensland in 2003, before undertaking a four-year post-doctoral fellowship at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford where he worked as part of the The International HapMap Consortium and co-led the analysis of four diseases within the first Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium. In 2007 he moved to take up a Senior Lecturer position at the University of Bristol where he led much of the genome-wide association studies work in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). In 2013 he returned to take up a chair at the University of Queensland whilst continuing to lead an MRC Programme in statistical genetics at the University of Bristol.

His research interests include the genetic mapping of complex traits and diseases (including birthweight and other perinatal traits, osteoporosis, ankylosing spondylitis, sepsis, laterality) and the development of statistical methodologies in genetic epidemiology including approaches for gene mapping, individual risk prediction, causal modelling and dissecting the genetic architecture of complex traits. He has a particular interest in Mendelian randomization and has used it and other causal methods to investigate the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD)- the idea that adverse intrauterine exposures lead to increased risk of disease in later life.

He is Academic Codirector at the NIH funded International Workshop on Statistical Genetics Methods and is faculty on the European Programme in Educational Epidemiology.

He is Associate Editor at the International Journal of Epidemiology and Behavior Genetics journals.

Prof Darryl Eyles is the head of the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research Developmental Neurobiology laboratory. One of Darryl’s research directions is focused on how known risk-factors for schizophrenia change the way the brain develops. His group have established the biological plausibility of various epidemiological risk factors for this disease including developmental vitamin D deficiency, prenatal hypoxia and maternal immune activation. Strikingly all these exposures affect the early development and later differentiation of early dopamine neurons. A second major focus is on understanding the effects of increased dopamine release in selective circuits and how this may be causal in schizophrenia. A third major interest is in factors such as the gut microbiome, and how increased testosterone contribute to altered brain function related to autism.

Dr Luli Faber is a teaching-focused academic in the School of Biomedical Sciences at The University of Queensland whose research examines how motivation, emotions and emotion regulation influence student learning, engagement and well-being in higher education. Her work in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) focuses on identifying strategies that help undergraduate students remain motivated, manage stress, and achieve stronger academic outcomes.

Her research investigates how psychological processes during learning can be harnessed to improve student experiences and performance. In particular, she studies motivation regulation, emotion regulation, student engagement and learning strategies, with the aim of informing evidence-based teaching practices that support both academic success and student well-being. This work also guides the design of innovative learning activities that foster key graduate capabilities, including cultural capability, critical thinking and science communication.

Dr Faber’s research is conducted within the SBMS Biomedical Education Research Group and has contributed to a growing body of work examining the factors that shape student motivation and learning in biomedical science education. Her projects integrate quantitative and qualitative approaches to better understand how students navigate challenges during university study and how educators can support their learning.

Prior to moving into education research, Dr Faber conducted neuroscience research investigating synaptic transmission and plasticity in brain regions involved in emotional processing, including the amygdala and prefrontal cortex. Her work focused on the role of potassium channels, including SK channels, in regulating neuronal activity.

Honours projects are available within the SBMS Biomedical Education Research Group, including projects examining:

• motivation regulation strategies that improve undergraduate learning and academic outcomes
• emotion regulation strategies used by university students
• factors supporting resilience and personal growth in undergraduate students
• student experiences of learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' perspectives in Biomedical Science education.

Professor Fairlie is an NHMRC Research Investigator Fellow (Level 3) (2022-present), a Node Leader of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide Protein Science, one of four Centre Directors and former Head of the Division of Chemistry of Structural Biology at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (since 2009), and an Affiliate Professor of the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences. He was previously an NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow (2012-2021), a Node Leader at the ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging (2014-2021), an ARC Federation Fellow (2006-2011), an ARC Professorial Fellow (2002-2006), and Scientific Director and Chief Scientific Officer of a startup company. He undertook postdoctoral studies at Stanford University and University of Toronto, postgraduate studies at Australian National University and University of New South Wales, and undergraduate studies at University of Adelaide.

His research group works across the disciplines of chemistry (synthesis, structure, reaction mechanisms), biochemistry (enzyme inhibitors, protein-protein interactions, GPCRs, transcription factors), immunology (innate immune cells in health and disease, mucosal T cells), and pharmacology (molecular pharmacology and human cell signalling, experimental pharmacology in rodent models of human diseases). He has published over 480 scientific journal articles in high impact chemistry journals (e.g. Chem Rev, Acc Chem Res, J Am Chem Soc, Angew Chem Int Edit, Chem Sci, J Med Chem, Org Lett, J Org Chem) and biology journals (e.g. Nature, Science, Nat Rev Endocrinol, Mol Cancer, Immunity, Nature Immunology, Science Immunology, Am J Resp Crit Care Med, J Hepatol, Trends Immunol, Mol Neurodegen, Adv Drug Deliv Rev, Nature Communications, Trends Pharmacol Sci, J Exp Med, J Clin Invest, Kidney Int, Arthritis & Rheum, Science Advances, Pharmacol Ther, Cancer Res, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, Dev Cell, Curr Biol, J Cell Biol, Cell Reports, PloS Biol, Br J Pharmacol, JCI Insight, Diabetes, Mucosal Immunol, etc). He has been a Highly Cited Researcher (Clarivate Analytics), with over 37,000 citations and 113 publications with over 100 citations (Google Scholar), and has collaborated with many of the world’s largest pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Jad is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Frazer Institute, currently focused on the detailed immune profiling of novel group A Streptococcus vaccines, with a specific interest in dissecting the diverse immune responses generated by StrepA vaccines. His expertise is built upon a PhD in cancer immunotherapy and immunology, where he investigated the role of complement receptors in glioblastoma (GBM) tumour growth. Jad possesses strong technical proficiency in working with murine models and advanced multi-colour flow cytometry (capable of +40 colours). Furthermore, his commitment to education is recognized through a fellowship in the Higher Education Academy.

In 2020 I formed the Fellowship of the Spring, an international consortium of people concerned with understanding dryland springs and securing their preservation. We are about 40 people spanning 25 countries from a broad range of disciplines, who collaborate with particular attention to fostering work in countries with disadvantage. This platform, focussed on the concept of an 'oasis' provides for multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary exchange. The Felloship of the Spring has its foundation in quantitative field ecology in Queensland. I have ongoing research interest in threatened plant species assessment, and other interests relating to avoiding extinction and better managing our natural resources. I have far more ideas than capacity to fulfil them, so welcome committed post-grads to discuss potential projects.

Research themes:

Artesian springs

Artesian springs are isolated oases in a sea of arid-lands containing weird and wonderful endemic creatures including snails, crustacea, plants and fish. The springs provide a focus for research relating to their hydrological function, cultural significance conservation, optimum management and biogeographic history.

Threatened species

Applied ecology relating to the ecology of threatened species generates insights into their habitat and leads to tangible conservation outcomes.

Prof. Brett Ferguson’s research uses molecular genetics, genomics, genetic transformation and CRISPR genome editing to unravel the molecular mechanisms driving plant development. His primary focus is on legume crops, using biotechnology and bioinformatic approaches to identify key genes and signals that control traits of interest. This includes the agriculturally- and environmentally-important symbiosis between legume plants and beneficial nitrogen-fixing rhizobia bacteria. He also works with the legume tree, Pongamia pinnata, which can be used as a feedstock for the sustainable production of biofuel.

Prof. Brett Ferguson leads the Integrative Legume Research Group (ILRG) in the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences (SAFS) at the University of Queensland (UQ). He is an Affiliate of the Centre for Crop Science in the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), and an Affiliate of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science (CIPPS). Prof. Ferguson is also a Chief Investigator in the large, multi-national Hy-Gain for Smallholders Project primarily funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The work of Prof. Ferguson has contributed to the discovery of many new genes and signals, such as novel microRNAs and peptide hormones, that have critical roles in controlling plant development. His research group identified the complete family of CLE peptide encoding genes of several legume species using an array of molecular and bioinformatic approaches. Additional discoveries of genes involved in legume nodule formation, nitrogen signalling and the regulation of root development, are also having an impact in the research field. Many of these factors could be useful in supporting translational studies and breeding programs that look to improve crop performance. His work also established a requirement for brassinosteroid hormones in legume nodulation and demonstrated a central role for gibberellins in nodule development. Moreover, he contributed to some of the initial work reporting a role of strigolatones in shoot branching, and demonstrated that plants can transport quantities of auxin far in excess of their endogenous levels.

Prof. Ferguson has also contributed to the developed of new tools and techniques, such as petiole feeding, precision feeding in growth pouches, stem girdling, pHairyRed for promoter-reporter fusions, new hairy-root transformation techniques, novel integrative vectors to enhance transformation efficiency, synthetic biology approaches to generate mature double stranded miRNA, etc.

Dr. Javier A. Fernandez is a Research Fellow at The University of Queensland. His research specializes in crop physiology, plant nutrition, corn production, and crop modelling reflected by over 30 articles (refereed journal publications, extension articles, conference proceedings, and others). He is currently engaged in the use of statistical, digital, and model technologies to assess crop growth and development, with the overall goal of enhancing production, resource use efficiency, and sustainability of agricultural systems in Australia. Javier received his BS in Agricultural Engineering from Universidad Nacional del Nordeste in Argentina, and his PhD in Agronomy from Kansas State University. He is recipient of several honours and awards from university, professional societies, and governmental organizations, including two Fulbright Commission scholarships.

Assoc Prof Fred Fialho Teixeira is an architect, media artist and associate professor at University of Queensland, School of Architecture, Design and Planning and director of the UQ VisLab. He has been working in the fields of computational architecture, biodesign and immersive environments for the last 20 years. He has been awarded the Dean's Fellowship from the University of California where he initiated is PhD and developed innovative biological-based design strategies at the California Nano Systems Institute. He's an alumni of the Architectural Association, School of Architecture (AA) and accredited architect by Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and Portuguese Chamber of Architects (OA) and also practiced for high profile offices such as Zaha Hadid Architects. Presently his research work on bio-design and spatial computation combines the use of mixed reality, advanced manufacturing and biomaterials to enable the next generation of built environments

Memberships

Architectural Association, School of Architecture (UK),Royal Institute of British Architects (UK), Chamber of Architects (PT), Australian Smart Communities Association (AU), UQ CyberResearch Centre

My research interests include causes and detectability of extinction and decline, conservation ecology of threatened and declining marsupials (especially dasyurids and macropods), and tropical mammals, evolutionary ecology, mating systems and life history evolution, especially associations between life histories and seasonality, climate and sexual selection.

My long-term interest in conservation and evolutionary ecology of carnivorous marsupials started at The University of Sydney, where I was an Honours student of Chris Dickman. I did a PhD on ecology of bridled nailtail wallabies at The University of Queensland with Craig Moritz and Anne Goldizen. My research fellowships and programmes since then have investigated ecology and evolution of mammals: a Royal Society fellowship at the University of Aberdeen with Xavier Lambin, an ARC APD fellowship at ANU with Andrew Cockburn, and an ARF fellowship, and a Future Fellowship and UQ Fellowship at The University of Queensland School of Biological Sciences.

I have worked in state environment agencies and the Australian Museum at times before joining UQ in 2007. I am co-chair of the IUCN Marsupial and Monotreme Specialist Group (with Professor John Woinarski), chair of the Australasian Mammal Taxonomy Consortium (affiliated with the Australian Mammal Society), and winner of the 2020 ESA Australian Ecology Research Award.

History:

Principal Research Fellow / Deputy Academic Director UQ Hidden Vale Research Station/ Associate Professor, School of the Environment / Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, UQ. Jan 2022-

UQ Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland. Conservation and life history evolution of mammals in Australia and Melanesia. January 2016 – December 2018.

ARC Future Fellow / Senior Lecturer, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland. Life history evolution, extinction and conservation ecology of carnivorous marsupials. January 2012 – December 2015.

ARC Australian Research Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland. Causes of animal extinction and rediscovery, detection of extinction and trajectories of decline in mammals with respect to the spread of invasive predators. January 2007 – December 2011.

Natural Heritage Trust, federal Department of Environment and Heritage, Canberra. Collating published data on threats to nationally endangered vertebrates under the EPBC Act, for the Species Profiles And Threats database. Part time, January- December 2006.

ARC Postdoctoral Fellow, Division of Botany and Zoology, Australian National University, Canberra. Testing hypotheses to explain the evolution of polyandry, using antechinuses. April 2002 to February 2006 (maternity leave December 2004 – October 2005).

Royal Society Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Zoology, University of Aberdeen. Behavioural mechanisms of density-dependent immigration and implications for population dynamics in the water vole. Jan 2000 - April 2001 (maternity leave April 2001 – April 2002).

Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Queensland. Ecological correlates of marsupial life histories, behaviour and social organisation. 1999 - 2000.

PhD. The Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Queensland, supervised by Professor Craig Moritz and Dr Anne Goldizen: Behavioural ecology and demography of the bridled nailtail wallaby, Onychogalea fraenata 1994 - 1998.