Centre for Pathogen Genomics

Professor Ben Howden

Professor Ben Howden is a medical microbiologist, infectious diseases physician and molecular biologist. He is Director of the Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory (MDU PHL), Medical Director of Doherty Applied Microbial Genomics and a Laboratory Head in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne. Professor Howden has an extensive program of work in capacity building and training in laboratory diagnosis and surveillance of infectious diseases as well as clinical and public health research, with a focus on antimicrobial resistance and bacterial pathogenesis, evolution and host-pathogen interactions.

Professor Tim Stinear

Professor Tim Stinear is a molecular microbiologist and research-teaching academic. He is Deputy Head of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne, Scientific Director of Doherty Applied Microbial Genomics and a NHMRC Leadership Fellow. Professor Stinear completed a PhD in Microbiology at Monash University in 2001, followed by a three-year postdoctoral period at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France. His laboratory uses innovative genomic approaches to understand how bacterial pathogens including mycobacteria, Staphylococcus aureus and Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci evolve, spread and cause disease.

Dr Chuan Kok Lim

Dr Chuan Kok Lim is a Medical Virologist and Acting Director of the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL). He is also a co-lead for the Viral Infectious Diseases Theme at the Doherty Institute. He plays a role in leading the public health laboratory response to disease outbreak investigation and surveillance. Chuan is an Honorary Fellow of the Department of Infectious Diseases and a member of the Viral Infectious Diseases cross-cutting discipline at the Doherty Institute. He is a clinician-scientist with special research focus on translational virology for emerging pathogens, in particular viral functional genomics and novel diagnostics.

A/Prof Torsten Seemann

Associate Professor Seemann is a world-renowned Bioinformatician that has developed cutting edge analysis approaches to enhance the use of genomic data for Discovery Science and Public Health. He is the Lead Bioinformatician at the Centre for Pathogen Genomics and the Director of Bioinformatics at Doherty Applied Microbial Genomics. His expertise includes the management of hardware and the design of software analysis infrastructure required to interrogate pathogen genome data to understand pathogen evolution, transmission and drug-resistance. He also led national and international bioinformatic analysis for SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the development and deployment of Australia’s first real-time data-sharing and national genomics surveillance platform, AusTrakka. A/Prof Seemann has been a significant contributor to international genomics standards through the Public Health Agency for Genomics Epidemiology (PHA4GE) and has recently been appointed as Lead Bioinformatics for the US CDCs PulseNet International Asia-Pacific Initiative.

Dr Michelle Wille

Dr Michelle Wille is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne. Her primary research focus is the dynamics of wild bird viruses: the ecology and evolution of influenza A viruses in waterfowl, shorebirds and seabirds, which utilise a range of migratory strategies to disseminate viruses. She is currently working on the dynamics of avian influenza in in Australia and Antarctica through detection, isolation and characterisation of viruses, but also using serology. Beyond influenza A, she is starting to assess viromes in wild birds, with a particular interest in ecological drivers of observed patterns.

Dr Lisa Ioannidis

Dr Lisa Ioannidis is the Coordinator of the Centre. She is responsible for the development and implementation of the Centre’s program of work, including collaborative research projects and capacity building and training activities across the Asia Pacific region. Dr Ioannidis has a background in laboratory research, with a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Melbourne and 10 years of postdoctoral experience in infectious diseases research at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.

Ms Chantel Lin

Ms Lin is Program Manager for Antimicrobial Resistance at the Doherty Institute and the Partnerships and Implementation Manager of the Centre for Pathogen Genomics. She also coordinates strategic initiatives and programs under the WHO Collaborating Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance. Ms Lin is responsible for the Doherty Institute’s program of work in antimicrobial resistance, including a portfolio of public health, international health, and translational research projects, and regional capacity building and training programs, coordination of collaborative partnerships and public health networks, and contribution to the Institute’s strategic initiatives across her work areas. Ms Lin provides project management oversight for a number of projects across the Asia-Pacific region, including the Fleming Fund and COMBAT-AMR programs.

Ms Tuyet Hoang

Ms Hoang is Portfolio Manager for Pathogen Genomics at the University of Melbourne and Strategy and Governance Manager for the Centre for Pathogen Genomics and. She is responsible for the coordination and management of state, national and international genomics translational research and implementation public health pathogen genomics programs. Her focus is on strategic planning, business development, data governance, relationship building, implementation of genomics into public health systems, and supporting capacity building and training activities. Her portfolio includes, AusTrakka, the Australian Pathogen Genomics (AusPathoGen) Program, and pathogen genomics endeavours in the Asia-Pacific region.