I read the deep history of life in the genomes of plants — assembling reference genomes, measuring genome-size diversity, and reconstructing the evolutionary tree of the Proteaceae.
I'm a plant genomics researcher completing my PhD at The University of Queensland, where I study the genomes of the Proteaceae — the ancient family that gave Australia its banksias, grevilleas, waratahs and macadamias. My thesis, Genomic Variations in the Proteaceae, traces how these lineages are built at the level of DNA: assembling reference genomes, measuring genome-size diversity, and reconstructing the family's phylogenetic history under the supervision of Prof. Robert Henry.
Along the way I assembled a haplotype-resolved reference genome for the critically endangered, paleo-endemic Nightcap Oak (Eidothea hardeniana) — combining PacBio HiFi, Oxford Nanopore and Hi-C data to give a threatened tree a genomic foundation for its own conservation.
My path into genomics runs through applied agricultural science — multi-site field trials, horticulture and biosecurity across northern Australia — which is why I care as much about reproducible method and evidence as I do about the deep evolutionary questions.
Building reference genomes for species that don't yet have one. I produced a haplotype-resolved genome of the critically endangered Nightcap Oak from an integrated PacBio HiFi, Nanopore and Hi-C workflow — a foundation for conserving a paleo-endemic tree.
Reconstructing how an ancient family diversified — resolving relationships across genera and tracing the origins of the traits that define much of Australia's flora, from plastid assembly to nuclear phylogenomics.
Measuring genomes precisely. I recalibrated flow-cytometry standards for plant genome-size estimation and built protocols that work even from frozen material — improving reproducibility across the field.