Our Team

I am a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Microbiology at La Trobe University. I currently teach microbial genetics to second and third year students majoring in microbiology. My research interest is in mobile genetic elements that include transposons, plasmids and bacteriophages. Currently we have active projects in understanding the mechanism of transposition of elements that belong to the Tn5053/Tn402 family and their interaction with broad host range plasmids. These elements are thought to contribute to the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance among gram-negative bacteria. Another active project is the isolation and characterisation of bacteriophages that infect bacteria in the clinical and environmental settings and ways in which they can be used or manipulated in phage therapy. I joined the ASM Vic branch committee in 2018 and am the working group leader of the “One Health” sub-committee.

A/Prof Steve Petrovski

Organisation: La Trobe University
Portfolio: Chair
Email: steve.petrovski@latrobe.edu.au
Twitter: @PetrovskiLab

Zahra is a postdoctoral research fellow focusing on plant-soil microbiome interactions within the ARC Research Hub for Smart Fertilisers at the University of Melbourne. She has extensive experience in the field of environmental microbiology, having worked on marine sponge-bacteria and plant-bacteria symbiotic interactions, before completing her PhD at Monash University under Professor Chris Greening on how bacteria from diverse ecosystems can survive and sometimes even grow on atmospheric trace gases! She then spent a year working as a teaching technical officer in Clinical Biology at RMIT before jumping back into academia in 2022. She has been a member of ASM since 2015, when her 3rd year internship supervisor took her along to a NSW branch event, and is looking forward to running all sorts of events as part of the Vic branch exec committee. 

Dr Zahra Islam

Organisation: University of Melbourne
Portfolio: Deputy Chair, Inclusion & Engagement (Lead)
Email: zahra.islam@unimelb.edu.au
Twitter: @Zahra_F_Islam

Aimee is a postdoctoral researcher in the McDevitt group at the Department for Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne. She has a breadth of experience with bacterial pathogens, having completed her PhD on gene regulation in gastrointestinal pathogens, before moving to Griffith University in Queensland to study respiratory pathogens including N. meningitidis and M. catarrhalis with Professor Kate Seib. Currently her work focuses on metal homeostasis and how it impacts the virulence of S. pneumoniae and K. pneumoniae. Aimee is a keen microbiologist with interests in how bacteria regulate virulence, and how specific virulence determinants can mediate the development of pathogenesis. She hopes that these studies will assist with the discovery and development of interventions to tackle infectious disease in an age of increasing antimicrobial resistance. Aimee is a past Garnett Passe and Rodney Williams research training fellow, and has been a member of ASM since 2007.

Dr Aimee Tan

Organisation: Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne
Portfolio: Secretary, Events
Email: aitan@unimelb.edu.au

I am an Early Career Researcher in the Lithgow Laboratory at Monash University, which is part of the Infection and Immunity Program in the Biomedicine Discovery Institute. My fascination with Microbiology started way back in high school when we were allowed to take a swab of anything in the school and attempt to incubate it on an agar plate: naturally, I chose the school canteen and boy was it disgusting... it didn’t stop me from going to the canteen though. I received first class Honours from Professor Julian Rood’s laboratory characterising regulatory genes from conjugative plasmids of Clostridium perfringens. I also received the 2017 CSL Prize as the top completing Microbiology PhD student for my work in Professor Trevor Lithgow’s laboratory, where I developed a radiolabelling pulse chase assay to determine the precise mechanistic details surrounding outer membrane protein biogenesis in the model bacterium Escherichia coli. My current work focuses on protein assembly mechanisms and antimicrobial resistance pathways.

Dr Chris Stubenrauch

Organisation: Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University
Portfolio: Treasurer
Email: christopher.stubenrauch@monash.edu
Twitter: @ChrisTheMicrobe

 

Dr Harshini Weerasinghe is a Postdoctoral Scientist working in the fungal infection and medical mycology laboratory of Prof. Ana Traven at the Biomedicine Discovery Institute of Monash University. Harshini is a fungal geneticist with interests in the genetic and genomic aspects of pathogenic fungi and how they relate to establishment of infection. She completed her PhD at the University of Melbourne, investigating the transcriptional dynamics that occur during pathogenic fungi and immune system macrophage interactions. In her current position, she is studying the role of metabolic changes in immune cells and hospital acquired infectious Candida species, that drive host-fungal interactions.

Dr Harshini Weerasinghe

Organisation: Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University
Portfolio: Deputy Treasurer, Inclusion & Engagement
Email: harshini.weerasinghe@monash.edu

I discovered the hidden world of microbes at high school and have loved microbiology ever since. I have been a member of ASM for nearly 20 years (!), having joined as an Honours student in the Robins-Browne laboratory. ASM has supported my professional development as a student, ECR and now leader of my own laboratory. I am delighted to be the Chair of ASM Vic Branch, and look forward to serving you and the other members of our Branch.

My lab is based at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne, and I also hold honorary appointments with The University of Melbourne. Our research focuses on pneumococcal microbiology; examining the impact of pneumococcal vaccines in low-income settings to support global vaccination strategies. We are fortunate to partner with microbiologists, clinicians, epidemiologists, and immunologists from both high and low-income settings; collaboration is one of the most enjoyable parts of my job! I recently co-chaired the International Symposium on Pneumococci and Pneumococcal Diseases, attracting over 1100 delegates from 85 countries. Our research is supported by national and international funders, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and by fellowships from the NHMRC and veski.

A/Prof Catherine Satzke

Organisation: Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
Portfolio: Immediate Past Chair, Inclusion & Engagement
Email: catherine.satzke@mcri.edu.au
Twitter: @CSatzke

I am the Section Leader for Enteric Reference Laboratory at the Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, Doherty Institute. I am responsible for the provision of scientific supervision and delivery of scientific services for the characterisation of bacteria typically of enteric origin.

Mary Valcanis

Organisation: Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne
Portfolio: Medical Microbiology
Email: valcanis@unimelb.edu.au

I am a recently appointed postdoc in the McDevitt lab at The Doherty Institute and I have worked with a broad range of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. I completed my PhD at La Trobe University investigating the production and function of bacterial membrane vesicles and have recently moved to The Doherty Institute to investigate metal homeostasis in bacterial pathogens. While completing my studies I was unaware of what a career in research was like however, during my honours year I grew fond of the unexpectedness and variety that comes with exploring new areas of microbiology. I joined the ASM Vic Branch committee in 2018 and I have recently taken on the role of VSP Coordinator.

Lauren Zavan

Organisation: Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne
Portfolio: Communications; website administrator
Email: lauren.zavan@unimelb.edu.au
Twitter: @Lauren_Zav

 

My fascination with microbes began during my undergraduate studies at the University of Melbourne, where I was introduced to the multitude of mechanisms used by bacteria to cause disease by numerous ASM members. I became an ASM member in 2003 when I was a PhD student in Professor Richard Strugnell’s laboratory, and I have been a member of the ASM Vic Branch Committee since 2018. I am currently a Group Leader at La Trobe University, and Deputy Director of the La Trobe Research Centre for Extracellular Vesicles. My lab is based at La Trobe and I hold an adjunct appointment at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research. My lab primarily focuses on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions with particular focus on Helicobacter pylori and bacterial membrane vesicles. Our research is supported by national and international funding agencies, including the NHMRC, ARC and DAAD in addition to an Inspiring Women Fellowship from veski.

A/Prof Maria Liaskos

Organisation: La Trobe University
Portfolio: Events
Email: m.liaskos@latrobe.edu.au
Twitter: @MariaK_Liaskos

I work as a senior scientist and second in charge of the Microbiology Laboratory at Dorevitch Pathology Main Lab. I started my career in microbiology as a lab assistant in New Zealand. I worked for a small community lab in Auckland where I developed a passion for microbiology. As my qualifications from India were not recognised, I joined AUT and completed my Bachelor’s degree of Medical Laboratory Science in 2007. I moved to Australia in 2011 and since then I've been working for Dorevitch Pathology. I enjoy microbiology as it requires a degree of expertise to deliver fast and reliable result to doctors. I'm also passionate about learning and that is what I thrive on. I take pride in my achievement of working at a Senior level for the majority of my working career. I have been a member of the ASM Victorian Branch Committee for several years as part of the Clinical and Diagnostics Group.

Seema Kanade

Organisation: Dorevitch Pathology
Portfolio: Medical Microbiology (Lead)
Email: seema_rknz@yahoo.com

I am a postdoctoral scientist with the Dept. of Microbiology & Immunology at the University of Melbourne, based at the Doherty Institute for Infection & Immunity. My primary research interests are in microbial genomics, specifically its application to understanding the emergence and development of antimicrobial resistant bacteria. I am also involved with regional support programs, managed through the Doherty Institute, that work with a number of low & middle income countries providing mentoring and assistance to increase lab capacity for antimicrobial resistance detection and surveillance.

Dr Sarah Baines

Organisation: University of Melbourne
Portfolio: Inclusion & Engagement
Email: bainess@unimelb.edu.au
Twitter: @sarahlbaines1

Sam is a microbiologist who completed his PhD in the Department of Microbiology at La Trobe University in 2014 focusing on horizontal gene transfer and the regulation of mitochondrial gene expression in protozoa. He then worked as an Associate Lecturer in the same department, supervising honours research projects and lecturing to undergraduate microbiology students in the areas of microbial genetics and infectious diseases. In 2015, Sam joined the Pneumococcal Research Group at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute as a Research Officer. His research involves investigating the biology, genetics and virulence of the bacterial pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae. Sam has attracted over $130,000 in funding and has also received multiple awards in recognition of his work including the Robert Austrian Research Award in Pneumococcal Vaccinology and the Australian Society for Microbiology Jim Pittard Award.

Dr Sam Manna

Organisation: Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
Portfolio: Events
Email: sam.manna@mcri.edu.au
Twitter: @sam_manna3

 

Jane is a postdoctoral research fellow within the Department of Infectious Diseases at Monash University. Her research focuses on the evolution and transmission of antimicrobial resistant bacterial pathogens, in particular the mobile genetic elements that are shared between bacterial species. Jane is currently developing new methods to track the dissemination of mobile elements using long-read sequencing that could be used to inform infection prevention and control. She has always been fascinated by evolutionary processes, and when Jane discovered during Honours that she could also apply her love of programming and computers to understanding bacterial evolution, there was no turning back! She was particularly drawn to the early bacterial genomic studies that examined how different bacterial diseases have evolved through time and how this related to human history.

Dr Jane Hawkey

Organisation: Monash University
Portfolio: Communications; newsletter correspondent, Events
Email: jane.hawkey@monash.edu

Twitter: @yekwah

I am a postdoctoral scientist in the Microbiota and Systems Biology Laboratory within the Centre for Innate Immunity and Infectious Diseases at Hudson Institute. I completed my PhD with A/Prof John Boyce at Monash University where I studied small RNA regulation within the Gram-negative bacterial pathogen Pasteurella multocida. Since 2019, I have been working on developing microbiological, genomic and sequencing methods to characterise the movement of antimicrobial resistance genes between bacteria that inhabit the human gut.

Dr Emily Gulliver

Organisation: Hudson Institute of Medical Research
Portfolio: Communications; twitter correspondent, Events
Email: emily.gulliver@hudson.org.au
Twitter: @DrEmilyGulliver

Andrew holds an academics position at the Gippsland campus of Federation University Australia. He obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Tasmania a long time ago, then moved to James Cook University in Townsville. Andrew held a variety of roles at JCU, and also completed a PhD. Soon after completion of his PhD he moved to regional Papua New Guinea, working at the PNG Institute of Medical Research for 4 very enjoyable years. Here Andrew established research in gastrointestinal pathogens such as Vibrio cholerae and Salmonella Typhi, while also contributing to a well-established respiratory pathogen research program. In his current role Andrew continues to work primarily on gastrointestinal pathogens, but as a generalist he finds himself contributing to a variety of projects. His teaching commitments are similarly broad, contributing to introductory microbiology, food microbiology, clinical microbiology and brewing. Andrew is pictured here in front of his fermentation vessel in his shed, where he practises (and practices) his applied microbiology.

A/Prof Andrew Greenhill

Organisation: Federation University
Portfolio: Inclusion & Engagement
Email: andrew.greenhill@federation.edu.au
Twitter: @Greena_01

Mikayla is an enthusiastic grade 2 medical scientist at Northern Pathology Victoria (NPV). She graduated at La Trobe university with a bachelors of biological sciences (major microbiology). Mikayla has been a member of ASM since 2012 and a MASM since 2019. Mikayla has gained experience in different laboratories around Melbourne. Including Melbourne diagnostics laboratory (MDU) at the university of Melbourne, St Vincent’s pathology Fitzroy and NPV at the northern hospital.

Mikayla Kingston

Organisation: Northern Pathology Victoria
Portfolio: Medical Microbiology
Email: mikaylakingston@gmail.com

 

I work in the Microbiology Department at Monash Health in Clayton as a Medical Scientist. I obtained my Bachelor Degree from RMIT with Majors in Haematology and Blood Banking, however my true calling was in microbiology, and have worked in the industry for over 28 years.  My Masters Degree is also from RMIT in the field of microbiology.

Sara Sujansky

Organisation: Monash Health
Working Group: Medical Microbiology
Email: sara.sujansky@monashhealth.org

Taylor completed his doctorate in 2020 in molecular microbiology from the University of Newcastle, Australia, where he studied DNA structures and replication in E. coli. Recently, he transitioned from the academic environment to diagnostic pathology (NPV) at Northern Health, where he is employed as a medical scientist involved in routine testing as well as a range of research projects and clinical trials within the department. Taylor is driven and has a passion for diagnostic microbiology, research and professional development.

Dr Taylor Corocher

Organisation: Northern Health
Portfolio: Medical Microbiology
Email: taylor.corocher@nh.org.au

Eliza is a microbiologist, and early-mid career researcher, with a strong and growing profile in the Streptococcus pneumoniae research and observational microbiological (community-based) fields. Previously, she led the microbiology team of the Experimental Human Pneumococcal Challenge infection program at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in the UK. She has been a Senior Research Officer in the Translational Microbiology group at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute since November 2021, where she is leading a multicenter study in Asia to improve diagnosis of complicated pneumonia in children. She has a strong interest in how vaccines affect nasal carriage and transmission of potentially pathogenic bacterial populations that naturally inhabit the human host. In the future, she hopes to optimize non-invasive sampling methodologies in adults and children to improve Streptococcus pneumoniae surveillance, with a long-term goal to expand this research to investigate the respiratory microbiome. Her research is supported by national and international funders, and she has received major awards including the prestigious Robert Austrian Research Award in 2022.

Dr Eliza Nikolaou

Organisation: Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
Portfolio: Events
Email: eliza.nikolaou@mcri.edu.au

 
 

Honorary Members

Karena holds a PhD (2001; Monash University) in malaria research and possesses over 10 years’ post-doctoral research experience. Since joining the University of Melbourne’s academic teaching staff (2010), Karena has completed the Graduate Certificate in University Teaching (2011; University of Melbourne) and has contributed significantly to the teaching and learning of microbiology, both locally and nationally. Karena’s excellence and innovation in teaching and learning has been rewarded with locally and nationally competitive prizes. She possesses extensive leadership experience in teaching and learning and sits on numerous University and Institute committees, primarily focusing on improving teaching and learning, improving the student experience and student engagement, academic governance, and professional development. She is a member of the Australian Society for Microbiology; she was Victorian Branch Chair (2014-2018) and is current Chair of both the ASM Education Special Interest Group (2017-2019) and organizing committee for ASM’s 2020 Scientific Meeting (2018-2020). Karena has published numerous biomedical and educational research/SoTL articles in peer-reviewed journals.

A/Prof Karena Waller

Organisation: Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne
Email: klwaller@unimelb.edu.au

Associate Professor Priscilla Johanesen is the Associate Dean for Research Training at the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences at Monash University. She has a long involvement in supporting early career researchers, including playing a lead role in the development of a skills-based approach for the Monash doctoral training program.

A/Prof Priscilla Johanesen

Organisation: Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University
Email: priscilla.johanesen@monash.edu

I am a Medical Laboratory Scientist at The Alfred Hospital in the bacteriology lab. I have worked in microbiology for the past 5 years and have loved finding rare and interesting pathogens. I first became involved in the ASM when I nervously presented a case of Microsporidosis at “News from the Hospitals” a few years ago, to which I won a one year membership to ASM. I have been an ASM Victorian Branch Committee member since 2019, and lookg forward to bringing you more exciting clinical based case studies, talks and workshops.

Louise Miles

Organisation: Alfred Health
Email: lo.miles@alfred.org.au
Twitter: @LouSmilesMiles