Contact Details
| Organization: | Zoology |
| Position: | LECTURER |
| Email: | |
| Homepage: | http://www.zoology.unimelb.edu.au/aboutus/staff/index.php?47,4 |
| Work: | 8344 5069 |
| Fax: | 8344 7909 |
| Room: | 353/305 |
| Level: | 03 |
| Building: | Zoology Building |
| Campus: | Parkville |
Biography
Profile
My Ph.D (Monash), supervised by Professor J. W. Funder, involved studying aspects of pituitary cell function. I then traveled to, and spent 6 years as a Fogarty International Fellow at the National Institutes of Health ( Bethesda , Maryland ). While there, Professor Alan Wolffe (1959-2001), head of the Laboratory for Molecular Embryology, sparked my enthusiasm for developmental biology and provided the opportunity to study testis development in frog. Further studies led to designing a targeting construct for, and creating a genetic mutation in, the mouse ovary specific gene - Zona Pellucida 3 . I was appointed lecturer in the Department of Zoology in 2002 and I am currently President of the Victorian Society for Developmental Biology.
Research
How does a fertilized egg become a multicellular organism with its incredible diversity of specialized organs? I am fascinated by all aspects of developing embryos, and in particular how bunches of cells within an embryo know when and how to form an organ, such as an ovary, a liver or a gut. We study the events of early development and the molecular and cellular mechanisms that lead to specialized cells in an embryo.
Currently there are three main areas of research in my laboratory and I supervise post-graduate and honours students studying various aspects of these fields of interest.
1. Studying maternal factors in the oocyte that drive early developmental stages in the embryo.
2. Deriving endodermal lineages from mouse embryonic stem cells.
3. The development of the gastrointestinal tract with a focus on parietal cells
My Ph.D (Monash), supervised by Professor J. W. Funder, involved studying aspects of pituitary cell function. I then traveled to, and spent 6 years as a Fogarty International Fellow at the National Institutes of Health ( Bethesda , Maryland ). While there, Professor Alan Wolffe (1959-2001), head of the Laboratory for Molecular Embryology, sparked my enthusiasm for developmental biology and provided the opportunity to study testis development in frog. Further studies led to designing a targeting construct for, and creating a genetic mutation in, the mouse ovary specific gene - Zona Pellucida 3 . I was appointed lecturer in the Department of Zoology in 2002 and I am currently President of the Victorian Society for Developmental Biology.
Research
How does a fertilized egg become a multicellular organism with its incredible diversity of specialized organs? I am fascinated by all aspects of developing embryos, and in particular how bunches of cells within an embryo know when and how to form an organ, such as an ovary, a liver or a gut. We study the events of early development and the molecular and cellular mechanisms that lead to specialized cells in an embryo.
Currently there are three main areas of research in my laboratory and I supervise post-graduate and honours students studying various aspects of these fields of interest.
1. Studying maternal factors in the oocyte that drive early developmental stages in the embryo.
2. Deriving endodermal lineages from mouse embryonic stem cells.
3. The development of the gastrointestinal tract with a focus on parietal cells
Research Expertise and International Linkages
Research Expertise
| Research Interest | Key Words | Country of Expertise |
|---|---|---|
| Developmental Biology | embryology, stem cells, organ development | Australia |
| Gastrointestinal tract development | stomach, intestine and parietal cells | Australia |
International Linkages
| Country | Establishment | Collaboration |
|---|---|---|
| United States | The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center |
Qualifications, Honours, Fellowships and Other Awards
Qualifications
| Title | Institution | Date Awarded | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor of Science (honours) | Monash University | 31-Dec-1979 | |
| Doctor of Philosophy | Monash University | 31-Dec-1988 | |
| Diploma of Education | University of Melbourne | 31-Dec-1979 |
Memberships
| Membership Type | Membership Body | Description | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unspecified | Department of Medicine, Finance Committee | Member | 01-Jan-1996 | 01-Jan-1999 |
| Unspecified | American Society for Developmental Biology | Member | 01-Jan-1996 | |
| Member | Royal Society of Victoria | Member | 01-Jan-2005 | |
| Council | Victorian Society for Developmental Biology | President | 01-Jan-1996 | |
| Member | Australian and New Zealand Society for Cell and Developmental Biology | Secretary | 01-Jan-1999 | 01-Jan-2000 |
| Member | AHMRC, Developmental Symposium Committee | Membe | 01-Jan-2006 | 05-Dec-2006 |
| Member | Faculty of Science, EOWW Committee | Member | 01-Jan-2004 | |
| Member | Department of Zoology Research Committee | Member | 01-Jan-2003 | |
| Member | Department of Zoology, Molecular Biology Committee | Member | 01-Jan-2002 | |
| Member | Faculty of Science, Animal Ethics and Experimentation Committee | Member | 05-Jun-2002 | |
| Unspecified | Aust. Fed. Uni. Women, Scholarship Committee | Member | 01-Jan-2002 | 31-Dec-2003 |
Government Research Classifications
Research Fields, Courses and Discipline Classifications
- Cell Metabolism (BIOCHEMISTRY AND CELL BIOLOGY) (270102)
- Cellular Interactions (incl. Adhesion, Matrix, Cell Wall) (BIOCHEMISTRY AND CELL BIOLOGY) (270105)
- Cell Development (incl. Cell Division and Apoptosis) (BIOCHEMISTRY AND CELL BIOLOGY) (270106)
- Gene Expression (GENETICS) (270201)
- Genetic Development (incl. Sex Determination) (GENETICS) (270205)
- Zoology not elsewhere classified (ZOOLOGY) (270599)
- Animal Physiology - Cell (PHYSIOLOGY) (270602)
- Animal Physiology - Systems (PHYSIOLOGY) (270603)
- Conservation and Biodiversity (ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION) (270708)
- Wildlife and Habitat Management (ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES) (300802)
- Fetal Development and Medicine (CLINICAL SCIENCES) (321005)
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology (CLINICAL SCIENCES) (321006)
- Oncology and Carcinogenesis (CLINICAL SCIENCES) (321015)
- Reproduction (CLINICAL SCIENCES) (321026)
Socio-Economic Objective Classifications
- Cancer and related disorders (CLINICAL; ORGANS, DISEASES AND ABNORMAL CONDITIONS) (730108)
- Digestive system and disorders (CLINICAL; ORGANS, DISEASES AND ABNORMAL CONDITIONS) (730113)
- Reproductive system and disorders (CLINICAL; ORGANS, DISEASES AND ABNORMAL CONDITIONS) (730116)
- Biological sciences (NON-ORIENTED RESEARCH) (780105)
Publications
Publications produced at the University of Melbourne and reported in the Annual Publications Collection and 'Research Report' since 2001. The Themis Publications module, released in November 2006, allows additional publications from previous institutions and publications from past years to be entered.