Professor Brett Neilan

Brett leads an established group that has pioneered research on toxin and natural product production in cyanobacteria. Formerly of UNSW Brett is now the Global Innovation Chair at the University of Newcastle. Brett’s group have made major breakthroughs in determining the molecular basis for natural product synthesis and have patented several of the discoveries including toxicity testing kits Completing their PhDs in different groups at similar timepoints, Brett and Brendan have been colleagues and friends for the better part of two decades. Their common interests stem from the work initiated in Brett’s lab on the Shark Bay stromatolites, that has since been carried on by the Burns group. However, Brett and Brendan continue to collaborate, particularly on aspects of cyanobacteria in Shark Bay as well as work on novel biosynthetic gene clusters. Their early work together was recognised with the award of the Eureka Prize for Interdisciplinary Research, along with close friend and colleague, Professor Malcolm Walter.