Biography
I am a structural biologist/protein biochemist who is passionate about plant-pathogen interactions and utilising structural information to drive the development of novel, durable disease resistance in crops.
I completed my Bachelor of Science (First Class Honours) in 2013 at Lincoln University (Christchurch, New Zealand), and then worked from 2014-2015 as a Tutor in Plant Pathology before embarking on my PhD at the University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia). My PhD, co-supervised by ARC Laureate Fellow Prof. Bostjan Kobe, Dr. Simon Williams, and Prof. Peter Solomon, focused on understanding the molecular basis of the interaction between the effector protein Tox3 and PR1 host defence proteins from the Parastagonospora nodorum-wheat pathosystem.
After completing my PhD in 2019, I took up a Postdoctoral Research Fellow position in the Plant Structural Immunology laboratory, led by Dr. Simon Williams, at the Australian National University (Canberra, Australia) where I utilised predominantly structural biology and protein biochemistry to understand fungal pathogenesis and plant immunity.
In 2022, I joined the CSIRO Agriculture and Food team as a CERC Postdoctoral Researcher to use comparative structural analysis of effector proteins from rust pathogens.
Academic Qualifications
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2019
Doctor of Philosophy
University of Queensland -
2013
Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours
Lincoln University
Achievements and Awards
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2017-2017
First Runner Up Poster Prize
East Coast Protein Meeting17 -
2017-2017
Gibbins RHD Travel Award for Science Research
University of Queensland -
2016-2016
Best Poster Prize, Combio2016
Combio -
2015-2018
Australian Postgraduate Award
Australian Government
Current Roles
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CERC Postdoctoral Fellow
Effector Structural Biology
Grants
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2021-2022
AINSE Early Career Research Grant
Other highlights
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2022-2022
Invited Speaker for MPMI ECR Showcase
Professional Experiences
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2019-2022
Postdoctoral Research in Plant Structural Immunology (Williams lab)
Australian National University, Canberra, AU -
2014-2015
Tutor in Plant Pathology
Lincoln University, Christchurch, NZ
ORCID 0000-0003-4510-3575