From Models to Systems: Deciphering Biological Complexity
This year's EMBL Australia Postgraduate Symposium (EAPS19) is in Melbourne. Our theme "From Models to Systems" focuses on looking at biology from multiple perspectives to better understand it as a whole, from micro-organisms to large ecosystems.
All Honours, Masters & PhD Students are welcomed and encouraged to attend EAPS19; the symposium is an excellent opportunity for students to learn from world leading researchers, as well as network with a range of other like-minded students and present their work in a friendly and professional environment.
Speakers from the Centre network:
Professor Christine Wells - Keynote Speaker
Christine Wells is Professor of Stem Cell Systems and Director of the University of Melbourne Centre for Stem Cell Systems, and deputy program leader for Stem Cells Australia.
She is a genome biologist with a focus on the differentiation and activation of mammalian cells, and a particular interest in the intersection between innate immunity and stem cell biology in tissue injury and repair.
She is the architect of the Stemformatics.org collaboration platform which is designed for intuitive sharing of stem cell data. Her laboratory works to an open science ethos, adhering to the principle of biological insight through data accessibility and reproducibility, and she most enjoys science when it is in multidisciplinary and collaborative frameworks.
Dr Irene Gallego Romero - Computational and Systems Biology Speaker
Dr Irene Gallego Romero is a human evolutionary biologist with training in genomics, biological anthropology and pluripotent stem cell biology. Her research interests include understanding evolutionary adaptations at both short and long time spans – those that have occurred in specific human populations, but also those that separate us from our close evolutionary relatives.
Her laboratory is focused on human evolution, especially in the ways in which gene regulatory processes have contributed to it. Because gene regulation is not easily predicted from sequence-level data, they use induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) as models to understand the means by which multiple cellular mechanisms interact to regulate gene expression, and, under the action of natural selection, ultimately give rise to inter-species or population-level differences.
Dr Gallego Romero’s team is one of few labs worldwide with an established record in generating iPSC lines from non-model organisms, and they combine this expertise with their experience working with the latest genomic technologies.
Associate Professor Enzo Porrello - Developmental and Regenerative Biology Speaker
A/Prof Porrello has a joint appointment at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and The University of Melbourne where he currently heads the Cardiac Regeneration Laboratory and co-directs the Melbourne Children’s Centre for Cardiovascular Genomics and Regenerative Medicine (CardioRegen). A/Prof Porrello is supported by a co-funded NHMRC Career Development Fellowship and Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellowship, as well as grants from the NHMRC, ARC - Stem Cells Australia and The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation. He is a member of the Editorial Boards of Circulation and PLoS One. A/Prof Porrello’s research on heart regeneration in the newborn has been recognized by a number of awards including the Metcalf Prize for Stem Cell Research, Heart Foundation Paul Korner Innovation Award, Heart Foundation Researcher of the Year and A.K. McIntyre Prize (Australian Physiological Society).