Centre Director
Professor Ian Dawes is the Centre Director. Professor Dawes is a Scientia Professor and holds the chair of Molecular Genetics in the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences. In 2007 he was elected to the membership of the Australian Academy of Science. Professor Dawes’ research interests revolve around regulation of gene expression, functional genomics and systems biology. Specifically Professor Dawes’ research group studies how the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae regulates gene expression under a range of important conditions including oxidative stress, cell differentiation, one-carbon metabolism and pre-mRNA splicing.
For more information about Professor Dawes’ research please click here.
Director DNA Sequencing Service
Dr Alan Wilton is the Director of the DNA Sequencing Service which is part of the Ramaciotti Centre. Dr Wilton is a senior lecturer in the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences. His research interests include disease gene discovery in humans (gestational diabetes) and in dogs, as well as genetics of dingoes and differences with domestic dogs. He uses the ABI3730 sequencer for genotyping microsatellites and SNPs and advises users on the use of ABI programs for this, GenMapper and SeqScape. For more information on Dr Wilton please click here.
Microarray Manager
The Microarray Facility is managed by Dr Helen Speirs. Dr Speirs joined the Centre in 2005 and has led the Centre’s development of its expertise in Affymetrix arrays. Helen has a PhD from Edinburgh University and her early work focused on blood coagulation, hypertension and thrombosis. After completing postdoctoral work at the Molecular Medicine Centre at Edinburgh University she relocated to Australia to take up a position with Professor Brian Morris at the University of Sydney working on the genetics of hypertension.
DNA Sequencing Service Manager
The DNA Analysis Facility is run by Mrs Angela Higgins. Angela is a qualified Laboratory Manager (C.B.L.T. Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education) with 20 years of extensive laboratory experience. Angela has been instrumental in the ongoing success of this valuable service since 1997.
Technical Manager
Mr Geoff Kornfeld is the Technical Manager of the Facility. He has had a major input to the selection, ordering and installation of the Facility's equipment. Geoff's time is an in-kind contribution from the University of New South Wales.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Dr Ruby Lin is an NHMRC Peter Doherty Fellow based at the Centre. Her research contributions to functional genomics investigate the molecular mechanisms of metabolism and its related disorders using microarrays and other technologies in human and rodent models. For more information about Dr Lins’ research please click here.
