1331711
Professor Peter Prentis
Faculty of Science,
School of Biology & Environmental Science
Biography
I am a Professor in genomics in the School of Biology and Environmental Science/Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy at QUT. I currently serve as Centre Director of the Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy at QUT. I am the Lead Chief Investigator for the “Genetics for Next Generation Orchards” initiative, a major five year, $41 million Hort Innovation Frontiers program. This initiative aims to enhance Australian tree crop breeding by integrating advanced genomics, molecular markers, and automation ready orchard designs to produce the next generation of almond, apple, citrus, macadamia and mango varieties.My current research employs a combination of high throughput genomics, bioinformatics and field experiments to address evolutionary questions in human dominated and agricultural production systems. The questions I am currently investigating include the application of genomic approaches to improve productivity in fruit tree species, better control pest species in horticulture and help conserve wild species. My research uses diverse species to answer applied questions but mainly fruit crops and their wild relatives, as well as pest fruit fly species. This research is developing new ways to use male attractants in the management of pest insects and new approaches to reduce the length of juvenility in tree breeding programs.
My previous research investigated the evolutionary genomics of plant species and sea anemones. This research answered fundamental questions about the genomics of adaptation and venom production, the genomics of artificial selection in crops as well as population genetic studies in invasive species.
Personal details
Positions
- Professor / Centre Director, Agriculture and the Bioeconomy
Faculty of Science,
School of Biology & Environmental Science
Keywords
precision breeding, tree breeding, genomics, horticulture, fruit flies, evolution
Research field
Evolutionary biology, Genetics
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2020
Qualifications
- PhD (Queensland University of Technology)
Publications
- Ryan, J., Clarke, A., Piper, A., Fuller, S. & Prentis, P. (2025). Gene Flow and Abundance of a Tropical Fruit Fly in a Horticultural Landscape Mosaic in Eastern Australia Is Limited by Cleared Grazing Land and Area-Wide Management. Evolutionary Applications, 18(4), Article e70097. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/256978
- Kerr, S., Shehnaz, S., Paudel, L., Manivannan, M., Shaw, L., Johnson, A., Velasquez, J., Tanurdžic, M., Cazzonelli, C., Varkonyi-Gasic, E. & Prentis, P. (2024). Advancing tree genomics to future proof next generation orchard production. Frontiers in Plant Science, 14, Article 1321555. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/246606
- Ashwood, L., Elnahriry, K., Stewart, Z., Shafee, T., Naseem, M., Szanto, T., van der Burg, C., Smith, H., Surm, J., Undheim, E., Madio, B., Hamilton, B., Guo, S., Wai, D., Coyne, V., Phillips, M., Dudley, K., Hurwood, D., Panyi, G. & King, G. (2023). Genomic, functional and structural analyses elucidate evolutionary innovation within the sea anemone 8 toxin family. BMC Biology, 21, Article 121. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/240583
- Paudel, L., Kerr, S., Prentis, P., Tanurdžic, M., Papanicolaou, A., Plett, J. & Cazzonelli, C. (2022). Horticultural innovation by viral-induced gene regulation of carotenogenesis. Horticulture Research, 9, Article uhab008. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/230383
- Ashwood, L., Undheim, E., Madio, B., Hamilton, B., Daly, M., Hurwood, D., King, G. & Prentis, P. (2022). Venoms for all occasions: The functional toxin profiles of different anatomical regions in sea anemones are related to their ecological function. Molecular Ecology, 31(3), 866–883. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/228779
- Roohigohar, S., Prentis, P. & Clarke, A. (2020). Effect of tomato fruit cultivar and ripening stage on Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) egg and larval survival. Journal of Applied Entomology, 144(9), 797–805. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/208083
- Surm, J., Smith, H., Madio, B., Undheim, E., King, G., Hamilton, B., Van Der Burg, C., Pavasovic, A. & Prentis, P. (2019). A process of convergent amplification and tissue-specific expression dominates the evolution of toxin and toxin-like genes in sea anemones. Molecular Ecology, 28(9), 2272–2289. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/131537
- Jung, H., Winefield, C., Bombarely, A., Prentis, P. & Waterhouse, P. (2019). Tools and strategies for long-read sequencing and de novo assembly of plant genomes. Trends in Plant Science, 24(8), 700–724. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/197247
- Nagalingam, K., Prentis, P., Mangalam, K., Schutze, M. & Clarke, A. (2014). Sexual selection in true fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae): transcriptome and experimental evidences for phytochemicals increasing male competitive ability. Molecular Ecology, 23(18), 4645–4657. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/78771
- Prentis, P., White, E., Radford, I., Lowe, A. & Clarke, A. (2007). Can hybridization cause local extinction: a case for demographic swamping of the Australian native Senecio pinnatifolius by the invasive Senecio madagascariensis? New Phytologist, 176(4), 902–912. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/40148
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Peter, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Filter publications:
A complete list of publications is available at: https://www.qut.edu.au/about/our-people/academic-profiles/p.prentis
Awards
- Type
- Editorial Role
- Reference year
- 2017
- Details
- Editorial Board Member - Ecology and Evolution
- Type
- Editorial Role
- Reference year
- 2017
- Details
- PeerJ. Editorial Board member- PeerJ
- Type
- Invited Talk, Presentation or Participant
- Reference year
- 2017
- Details
- Venoms to Drugs. Invited speaker - Venoms to Drugs
- Type
- Committee or Organising Role for a Conference or Workshop
- Reference year
- 2016
- Details
- Australian Bioinformatics And Computational Biology Society (ABACBS) 2016 conference organising committee
Selected research projects
- Title
- Centre for Fruit Fly Biosecurity Innovation
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- IC150100026
- Start year
- 2016
- Keywords
Projects listed above are funded by Australian Competitive Grants. Projects funded from other sources are not listed due to confidentiality agreements.
Supervision
Looking for a postgraduate research supervisor?
I am currently accepting research students for Honours, Masters and PhD study.
You can browse existing student topics offered by QUT or propose your own topic.
Current supervisions
- A new CRISPR-based approach for the regulation of gene expression based on the terminator function
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Felipe Fenselau de Felippes, Emeritus Professor Peter Waterhouse, Dr Satomi Hayashi - Development of Molecular Tools to Improve and Accelerate Macadamia Breeding
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Associate Professor Brett Williams, Dr Stephanie Kerr, Professor Helen Wallace - Exploring the genetics of precocious flowering for breeding improved Australian mango cultivars
PhD, Mentoring Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Stephanie Kerr, Dr Jiyuan An - Finger Lime (Citrus australasica) and Round Lime (Citrus australis) Genomics
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Adjunct Associate Professor David Hurwood, Professor Matthew Phillips - Genetic investigations of the defence responses of mango cultivars to safeguard the Australian mango industry
PhD, Mentoring Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Stephanie Kerr, Associate Professor Brett Williams, Dr Anthony James, Dr Upendra Shekhawat - Genomics and Bioinformatics of Citrus Breeding
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Julia Bally, Associate Professor Dimitri Perrin - Giant Rat Tail grass as a novel grain source for human consumption
MPhil, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Jolieke van der Pols, Professor Mark Harrison, Dr Satomi Hayashi - Investigating Genes Associated with Fruit Fly Resistance in Citrus
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Adjunct Associate Professor David Hurwood, Dr Julia Bally, Associate Professor Brett Williams - Investigating the Genetic Basis for Vigour in the Australian Mango Population
MPhil, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Stephanie Kerr - Mechanisms of cold stress mortality in Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Diptera: Tephritidae)
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Associate Professor Brett Williams
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
- A Genomics Approach to Improve Breeding Time in Australian Fruit Tree Crops (2026)
- Mining for Fusarium Wilt susceptibility gene targets in banana for editing and disease resistance (2026)
- Investigating Drivers of Speciation in the Fruit Fly Genus, Bactrocera (Diptera: Tephritidae) (2025)
- Regulation of Flowering Genes in Citrus (2025)
- They Protectin, They Attackin, But Most Importantly, They Trypsin: Toxin Discovery in Sea Anemones (2025)
- Substrate attachment in colonial Scleractinia (2024)
- Identifying changes to placental gene expression in pregnancies with a small for gestational age infant (2023)
- Investigating the genetics of equine endocrine dysfunction (2023)
- The complexity of competition between three native Australian fruit fly species, Bactrocera tryoni, B. neohumeralis and B. jarvisi in a changing environment (2023)
- Characterisation of the Interactions Between Queensland Fruit Fly, Bactrocera Tryoni, Egg and Larvae, and Tomato Fruit at the Whole Insect and Molecular Level (2022)
Completed supervisions (Masters by Research)
- Investigating the Effects of the Male Lures Cue-Lure and Zingerone on Gene Expression in Bactrocera tryoni and Bactrocera jarvisi (Diptera: Tephritidae) (2024)
- Tr1 cell biology in ankylosing spondylitis (2024)
- Detecting the invasive jaguar cichlid in the pioneer river using a non-invasive environmental DNA approach: Implications for management (2023)
- Multiscale Landscape Genetics Analysis of Feral Pigs in the Herbert Region of Far-North Queensland (2022)
- Investigating Incipient Speciation in the Widespread Freshwater Shrimp, Paratya Australiensis (Kemp 1917) (2021)
- Clast Assimilation and Substrate Attachment in Acropora millipora (2019)
- Characterisation and Evolution of Globin-Like Genes in Phylum Cnidaria (2018)
- Characterisation of Duplicated Haemoglobin Genes in Bivalves (2017)
- An Investigation of Sunlight Stress Response Genes in the Intertidal Sea Anemone, Actinia Tenebrosa (2016)
The supervisions listed above are only a selection.