The Seaweed Research Group is renowned for its cross-disciplinary approach. The team has more than 30 academics, students, and technical staff. From marine biologists and chemists to social and business researchers, each member contributes unique expertise to unlock the secrets of seaweed resources.
Key members
Professor Nick Paul
Professor, Marine Science | School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Nick is a Professor of Marine Science and leads applied research and development on seaweed and algae for new product development, based upon a platform of sustainable production.
Dr Alexandra Campbell
Senior Lecturer, Bioscience | School of Health
Alex is a Senior Lecturer in BioScience and an award-winning marine ecologist who combines field ecology with environmental microbiology, natural products chemistry and environmental science.
Dr Libby Swanepoel
Senior Lecturer, Nutrition and Dietetics | School of Health
Libby is a Senior Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics whose research sees her working across food systems for global development. Libby currently has projects across the Asia-Pacific region, including Kiribati, Samoa and Solomon Islands.
Professor Scott Cummins
Professor, Molecular Biology
Scott is a Professor of Molecular Biology and focuses his research on the molecular basis for natural product variation in seaweeds, with applications in the fields of ecology, aquaculture and health. Scott's multi-omics approach towards our research integrates genomics, transcriptomics, proteomic and metabolomics through the latest next-generation sequencing and mass spectrometry approaches.
Dr Min Zhao
UniSC Senior Research Fellow | Senior Lecturer, Genomics
Min’s seaweed research focuses on bioinformatics and genomics with high-throughput integration of multiple dimensional data, focussing on the biosynthetic pathways of seaweed and industry-facing genomic browsers.
Dr Saskia de Klerk
Senior Lecturer, International Business | Discipline Lead, Marketing, International Business and Tourism | School of Business and Creative Industries
Saskia is a Senior Lecturer in international business. Her areas of research include entreprenuership and innovative ecosystem development for seaweed, with an emphasis on cross-cultural management and capacity building.
Dr Martina Jelocnik
Lecturer in Microbiology | Researcher, Centre for Bioinnovation
Martina is an ARC DECRA Research Fellow. Her research on seaweed takes a One Health approach to veterinary microbiology through the control of infections in Australian livestock and aquaculture production.
Dr Peter Brooks
Peter is a chemist with expertise in the analysis and isolation of bioactive compounds in seaweed. His research includes chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques and the quantitation of bioactive compounds from seaweed.
Dr Savindi Caldera
Lecturer in Environmental Management | School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Savindi is a Lecturer in Environmental Management at the School of Science, Technology and Engineering, UniSC. She has over ten years of experience working with industry and government partners on trans-disciplinary projects transforming manufacturing practices through circular and resilient strategies.
Dr Silva Larson
Silva is a Senior Research Fellow with projects in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, working on improving livelihoods and wellbeing and promoting gender and social inclusion.
Dr Tianfang Wang
Senior Lecturer, Chemical Sciences
Dr Andrew Eamens
Lecturer, Biomedical Sciences | School of Health
Andrew is a molecular biologist with extensive experience in small RNA biology and the use of his research findings to develop gene expression manipulation technologies. Andrew aims to uncover the microRNA landscape of seaweed to control gene expression via an environmentally sustainable approach.
Professional staff
- Nicole Dare - Technical Project Officer ndare@usc.edu.au
- Enrique de Paz Miguel - Research Assistant edepazmiguel@usc.edu.au
- Courtney Anderson - Research Assistant canderson@usc.edu.au
HDR students
|
Student |
Thesis title |
|
Asri Pratitis |
Selecting Temperature-Tolerant Strains of Asparagopsis taxiformis: Exploring potential trade-offs in growth and natural products |
|
Jessica Webb |
Molecular analysis of bromoform biosynthesis in the red seaweed Asparagopsis taxiformis |
|
Lachlan McKinnie |
The red seaweed Asparagopsis taxiformis genome: An integrative genomics and comparative analysis of biosynthetic pathways |
|
Mikaela Young |
Seaweed as a Novel Ingredient in Fermented Food and Beverage Products |
|
Shelby Schumacher |
Restorative Aquaculture: The environmental and social benefits of seaweed farming |
|
Silvia Blanco Gonzalez |
Microbial influences on the culture and ecology of Asparagopsis taxiformis |
|
Tomas Lang |
Application of functional genomics to elucidate the principles of chemical communication in Asparagopsis taxiformis |
HDR completions