Head of Applied BioSciences

Photo of Phil Taylor
Professor Phil Taylor

Prof Phil Taylor is the founding Head of Applied BioSciences, a research and research training enterprise that is based on core principles of integrating the needs and priorities of industry with university-based research, and addressing these needs through partnership.

StaffDetails
Chris Evans
Operations Manager

Chris Evans
E: christopher.evans@mq.edu.au
T: + 61 (2) 9850 8421
Li Zhang
Finance and HR

E: li.zhang@mq.edu.au
T: +61 (2) 9850 4190
StaffDetails
Professor Phil Taylor

Prof Phillip Taylor

E: phil.taylor@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Sustainable insect pest management
  • Fruit fly biology and management
  • Sterile Insect Technique
Dr Bishwo Mainali

Dr Bishwo Mainali

E: bishwo.mainali@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Insect ecology
  • Biological control
  • Sustainable pest management
Dr Mary Whitehouse

Dr Mary Whitehouse

E: mary.whitehouse.mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Integrated pest management
  • Biological control
  • Spider behavioural ecology
Dr Piotr Trebicki

Dr Piotr Trebicki

E: piotr.trebicki@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Climate change and food security
  • Pests and diseases of food crops
  • Vector biology and ecology
  • Plant virology

Dr Syed Zulfiqar Rizvi

Dr Syed Rizvi

E: syedzulfiqar.rizvi@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Biosecurity
  • Integrated pest management
Dr Fazila Yousuf

Dr Fazila Yousuf

E: fazila.yousuf@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Biological control
  • integrated pest management
  • Plant-insect-microbe- interactions
  • Microbiology
Eitan Taylor

Eitan Taylor Research Assistant

E: eitan.taylor@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Insect colony maintenance
  • Research support
Members
Dr Solomon Balagawi
NSW DPI
Research Office
E: solomon.balagawi@dpi.nsw.gov.au
Dr Peter Brown
CSIRO
Principal Research Scientist
E: peter.brown@csiro.au
Dr Toni Chapman
NSW DPI
Senior Research Scientist
E: toni.chapman@dpi.nsw.gov.au
Dr Jenny Ekman
Applied Horticultural Research
Research Scientist
E: jenny.ekman@ahr.com.au
Dr Bernard Dominiak
NSW DPI
Scientific Publications Coach
E: bernie.dominiak@dpi.nsw.gov.au
Dr Katharina Merkel
SARDI
Fruit Fly Entomologist
E: katharina.merkel@sa.gov.au
Professor Max Suckling
NZ Institute for Plant and Food Research
Science Group Leader
E: max.suckling@plantfood.co.nz
Tek Tay
CSIRO
Senior Research Scientist
E: weetek.tay@csiro.au
Dr Maarten Van Helden
SARDI
Senior Researcher
E: maarten.vanhelden@sa.gov.au
Professor Jim Yoder
EMU
E: yoderjm@emu.edu
Dr Darren Kriticos
Cervantes Agritech
Co-founder and Managing Director
E: darren@cervantesagritech.com
Dr Tania Yonow
Cervantes Agritech
E: tania@cervantesagritech.com
Dr Leigh Pilkington
NSW DPI
Director of Emergency Management
E: leigh.pilkington@dpi.nsw.gov.au
Dr Chronis Rempoulakis
NSW DPI
Leader Plant Biosecurity Entomology
E: polychronis.rempoulakis@dpi.nsw.gov.au
PhD and MRes students
Sanjana Akter
Behavioural assessment of males towards female sex pheromone based on age, mating status and host plant in both sexes in the Fall Armyworm (FAW).
E: sanjana.akter@students.mq.edu.au 
Principal Supervisor: Dr Bishwo Mainali
Shahinur Islam
Generalist predators for pest control in Macadamia orchards.
Principal Supervisor: Dr Mary Whitehouse
Vaanathi Chadambara Thanu
A multi-omics pipeline for insect olfactory receptors.
E: vaanathi.chadambarathanu@mq.edu.au
Principal Supervisor: Professor Shoba Ranganathan
Md Forhad Hossain
Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) for community-based regional management of Queensland fruit fly.
E: mdforhad.hossain@students.mq.edu.au
Principal Supervisor: Professor Phil Taylor
Rabia Ali
Biocontrol of Fall armyworm (FAW) in Australian context- potential of parasitoids species.
E: rabia.ali@students.mq.edu.au
Principal Supervisor: Dr Bishwo Mainali
Rajendra Regmi
Fall army worm pheromone blends.
E: rajendra.regmi@students.mq.edu.au
Principal Supervisor: Dr Bishwo Mainali
Asif Khandaker
Biochemistry of accessory gland fluids that are transferred with the ejaculate of tephritid fruit flies.
E: khandaker-asif.ahmed@students.mq.edu.au
Principal Supervisor: Dr Ronald Lee
Ngocmaihan Nguyen
Developing a transgenic ‘genetic sexing’ strain of Queensland fruit fly.
E: ngocmaihan.nguyen@hdr.mq.edu.au
Principal Supervisor: Professor Phil Taylor
Beatrice Nonthakorn
Identifying Australian fungi that have pathogenic properties in Spodoptera caterillars, including fall armyworm.
E: nonthakorn.apirajkamol@students.mq.edu.au
Principal Supervisor: Dr Bishwo Mainali
Chris O'Connor
Investigating the origin of invasive arthropods using signatures evident in stable isotopes and biometal compositions.
E: chris.oconnor@mq.edu.au
Principal Supervisor: Dr Bishwo Mainali
Shirleen Prasad
Investigating the genetics underlying reduced stress tolerance of domesticated fruit flies, and heritability of stress tolerance.
E: shirleen.prasad@hdr.mq.edu.au
Principal Supervisor: Professor Phil Taylor
Amanda Tinoco
Seeking to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying heat and bleaching tolerance in reef-building coral.
E: amanda.tinoco@hdr.mq.edu.au
Principal Supervisor: Dr Maciej Maselko
Nikki Van de Weyer
What triggers house mouse outbreaks in Australian cropping systems: Understanding the role of social structures on population regulation to better inform mouse management.
E: nikki.vandeweyer@hdr.mq.edu.au
Principal Supervisor: Dr Kevin Oh
Cynthia Vargas
Investigating chemical ecology of Queensland fruit fly.
E: cynthia.castro-vargas@hdr.mq.edu.au
Principal Supervisor: Professor Phil Taylor
StaffDetails
Dr Maciej Maselko

Dr Maciej Malseko

E: maciej.maselko@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Synthetic biology
  • Bioremediation
  • Sustainable waste management
  • Insect biomanufacturing
  • Genetic biocontrol
Dr Sheemal Kumar

E: sheemal.kumar@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Invertebrate genetic biocontrol
  • Sustainable waste management
  • Insect synthetic biology
Dr Chandran Pfitzner

E: chandran.pfitzner@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Fish genetic biocontrol
  • Bioremediation
  • Genome engineering
Dr Binh Nguyen

Dr Binh Nguyen

E: thi-binh.nguyen@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Invertebrate genetic biocontrol
  • Insect synthetic biology
  • Genome engineering

Dr Aidan Tay

Dr Aidan Tay

E: aidan.tay@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Bioinformatics (Genomics)
  • Machine learning
  • Synthetic biology
  • Biosecurity
Dr Anthony Waddle

E: anthony.waddle@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Disease Ecology
  • Conservation
  • Synthetic Biology
Dr Anu Jayaweera

Anu Jayaweera

E: anu.jayaweera@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Insect Pest Management
  • Insect ecology
  • Insect mating systems
  • Genetic improvement methods

Michael Clark

Michael Clark

E: michael.clark@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Animal genome engineering
  • Animal genetic biocontrol
  • Synthetic biology

Dr Nadee Jayawardana

Nadee Jayawardana

E: nadeeka.jayawardana@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Developmental genetics
  • Bioremediation
  • Genetic engineering
Members
Dr Owain Edwards
CSIRO
Group Leader
Environmental & Synthetic Genomics
E: owain.edwards@csiro.au
Dr Phil Cleves
Carnegie Institute of Science
Principal Investigator
Department of Embryology
E:  cleves@carnegiescience.edu
PhD and MRes students
Tien Hung Nguyen
Developing pesticide resistant predatory natural enemy for IPM.
E: tienhung.nguyen1@hdr.mq.edu.au
Principal Supervisor: Dr Maciej Maselko
Carly Carter
Keratinase function in heterologous insect hosts.
E: carly.carter@hdr.mq.edu.au
Principal Supervisor: Dr Maciej Maselko
Samuel Beach
Develop transgenic strains of fruit flies and other pest insects in order to rapidly remove females from the wild populations.
E: sam.beach@hdr.mq.edu.au
Principal Supervisor: Dr Maciej Maselko
StaffDetails

Associate Professor David Field

David Field

E: david.field@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Population and conservation genomics
  • Evolutionary ecology
  • Plant adaptation
  • Plant-pollinator interactions
Dr Patrick Buerger

E: patrick.buerger@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Molecular ecology
  • Coral microbiomes
  • Coral thermal resilience

Dr Amanda Padovan

Amanda Padovan

E: amanda.padovan@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Molecular ecology
  • Genotype-phenotype linkage
  • Pest Genomics

Dr John Whale

John Whale

Areas of expertise:

  • Molecular ecology
  • Population and adaptive genomics
  • Adaptive capacity

Dr Avneet Kaur

Avneet Singh

Areas of expertise:

  • Genotype-Phenotype map
  • Genetics of adaptation
  • Population genomics
  • Ecological genetics

Dr Frank Stadler

E: frank.stadler@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Maggot therapy (MT)
  • MT supply chain management
  • Biological and societal adaptation

Dr Amara Jabeen

Dr Amara  Jabeen

E: amara.jabeen@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Structural bioinformatics
  • Machine learning
  • Data analysis and visualisation

Professor Shoba Ranganathan

Prof Shoba Ranganathan

E: shoba.ranganathan@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Metaproteomic analysis
  • Early disease detection from human plasma proteomics
Members
Dr John Oakeshott
CSIRO
Chief Research Scientist
E: john.oakeshott@csiro.au
Dr Tanya Strive
CSIRO
Principle Research Scientist, Group Leader
E: tanja.strive@csiro.au
Dr Denis Bauer
CSIRO
Group Leader,
E: denis.bauer@csiro.au
Yatish Jain
CSIRO
Bioformatics IT Advisor
E: yatish.jain@CSIRO.au
Dr Rahul Rane
CSIRO
Postdoctoral Fellow
E: rahul.rane@csiro.au
Dr Daniel Reti
CSIRO
Research Officer
E: daniel.reti@csiro.au
Dr Natalie Twine
CSIRO
Team Lead
Genome Insights team
E: natalie.twine@csiro.au
Dr Lawrence Wilson
CSIRO
Group Leader
Digital Genome Engineering team
E: lawrence.wilson@csiro.au
Dr Arash Bayat
CSIRO
E: arash.bayat@csiro.au
Dr Sui Fai (Ronald) Lee
E: ronald.lee@mq.edu.au
Dr Kevin Oh
E: kevin.oh@mq.edu.au
PhD and MRes students
Pallavi Khodlan
Somatic hybridization of symbiotic microalgae to increase thermal tolerance.
Principal Supervisor: Dr Patrick Buerger
StaffDetails
Dr Vivian Mendez Alvarez

E: vivian.mendez@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Behavioural biology
  • Insect cuticular chemistry
  • Semiochemical-based pest management
Dr Soo Jean Park

E: soojean.park@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Synthetic chemistry
  • Analytical chemistry
  • Semiochemical-based pest management

Professor Peter Karuso

E: peter.karuso@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Natural products chemistry
  • Chemical ecology
  • Applied fluorescence
  • Chemical biology

Dr Danny Wong

Danny Wong

E: danny.wong@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Electrochemical sensing
  • Analytical chemistry
  • Chemometrics

Dr Zeheng (Joe) Lin

Zeheng (Joe) Lin

E: joe.lin@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Electrochemical sensing
  • Catalysis
  • Electrosynthesis

Dr Md Jamil Hossain Biswas

Jamil Hossain Biswas profile photo

E: mdjamil.biswas@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Area-Wide Integrated Pest Management (AW-IPM)
  • Insect spatial ecology
  • Insect chemical ecology
Dr Rehan Silva

Headshot of Rehan Silva.

E: rehan.silva@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Behavioural biology
  • Insect-plant interactions
  • Insect chemical ecology
Dr Paul Mirzayans

A headshot of Paul Mirzayans. 

E: paul.malekmirzayans@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Natural product synthesis
  • Medicinal chemistry
  • Reaction mechanism exploration and method development

Dr Sabira Sultana

A photo of Sabira Sultana.

E: sabira.sultana@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Behavioral biology
  • Climate change
  • Species distribution modelling
Vaughan Moon 

A headshot of Vaughan Moon. 

E: vaughan.moon@mq.edu.au

Areas of expertise:

  • Chemistry technical services
  • Research support
Members
Dr Gunjan Pandey
CSIRO
Senior Research Scientist
E: gunjan.pandey@csiro.au
Dr Md. Hafiz All Amin
Department of Agroforestry and Environment at the Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University in Bangladesh
Researcher 
E: mdhafiz.allamin@mq.edu.au
PhD and MRes students
Fozia Masood
Metabolic effect of phytochemical lure intake in three species of Bactrocera fruit flies.
E: fozia.masood@students.mq.edu.au
Principal Supervisor: Dr Vivian Mendez Alvarez
Most Mottakina Akter
Phytochemical lure ingestion in males of Bactrocera fruit flies: benefits and costs of a metabolic boost.
E: mostmottakina.akter@students.mq.edu.au
Principal Supervisor: Dr Vivian Mendez Alvarez
Md Sahadat Hossain
Investigating essential oils as botanical insecticides and/or repellents.
E: md-sahadat.hossain@students.mq.edu.au
Principal Supervisor: Dr Soo Jean Park
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