QUT Professor Gene Tyson, director of the QUT Centre for Microbiome Research, has been elected to the American Academy of Microbiology.
This honorific group within the American Society for Microbiology recognises excellence, originality, service and leadership in the field of microbial sciences.
As an internationally recognised microbial ecologist, Professor Tyson’s work has played an important role in changing our understanding of environmental and clinical microbial communities using culture-independent molecular techniques.
He was the lead author on the first analysis of a microbial community using shotgun metagenomics, as described in Nature in 2004. This landmark study was the first to demonstrate that microbial genomes could be assembled directly from environmental samples, revealing the metabolic potential and population diversity of microbial communities without the need for cultivation.
Since then, Professor Tyson’s pioneering research has driven the discovery of novel microbial lineages and metabolic processes, and development of widely used bioinformatic tools for the analysis of genomic data from microbial communities.
His work has led to more than 140 peer-reviewed scientific papers in top-tier journals, including eight papers in Nature and five papers in Science. These papers have been cited more than 29,500 times, making him a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher (top 1 per cent of cited researchers globally) for the past four years (2019–2022).
In 2020, Professor Tyson established the Centre for Microbiome Research at QUT.
“Our team is developing innovative laboratory methods and bioinformatic tools for microbiology, which we are using to gain a holistic understanding of complex microbial communities,” says Professor Tyson.
“We have now uncovered critical insights into the role of microorganisms from diverse environments, ranging from the human gut to the corals of the Great Barrier Reef. Our research is also advancing our understanding of the microbial role in the global carbon cycle.
“There is tremendous potential to translate these research findings into new strategies to improve human and environmental health.”
He has already been successful in translating his research findings for public benefit, cofounding the human gut microbiome analysis company Microba in 2018.
Based on his commercialisation experience with Microba, Professor Tyson mentors and advises other researchers interested in commercial translation of their research findings.
After undergoing a highly selective peer-review process, Professor Tyson’s election into this Academy is a testament to his scientific achievement and contribution to the field of microbiology.
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