Network

The Burns lab are strong believers in the need to interact with a range of stakeholders to help drive the group’s research forward and to contribute to a globally-engaged scientific community. To this end we actively network and coordinate our research with partners in industry, other universities, centres, government departments, and non-for-profit organisations.

Inter-university

The success of the Burns lab is a result of the dedication of many of the students directly under the supervision of Dr Burns, however this is enhanced with numerous inter-university collaborations. Nationally these include Sydney University, University of Technology, Curtin University, University of Western Australia, University of Newcastle, and Australian National University. Internationally numerous links have been established, including with researchers at University of Connecticut, Washington State University, University of Copenhagen, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, University of Tsukuba, and NASA Ames.

Industry partnerships

The Burns lab is in an industrial partnership with SpeeDx, a company that specialises in molecular diagnostic solutions, with the overall goal of improving patient management and rapid diagnosis using innovative molecular approaches. The company’s real-time polymerase chain reaction technology has driven market-leading detection strategies. The research is led by Dr Allison Todd, and Dr Burns co-supervises PhD students conducting their projects, including Nicole Hasick (recently completed) and Nicole Lima (current lab member).

Consulting

The Burns lab has also outsourced its expertise on molecular analyses of microbial mats, by undertaking consulting services for the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation, and Attractants in Western Australia, monitoring mat systems under potential threat from urban development. Recommendations from this work and reports were also sent to the Environmental Protection Agency for assessment and final decision-making re developments. Given the strong conservation interest and focus the Burns group has, we also work closely with the Western Australian Marine Science Institute and the Shark Bay World Heritage Advisory Committee to help monitor carefully threats to the mat systems in Shark Bay.

Citizen science

The Burns lab also participated in Ocean Sampling Day in 2015, a global citizen scientist project designed simultaneously sample marine environments around the world on the June 21 solstice (summer in northern Hemisphere, winter in southern Hemisphere). This global initiative provided insights into fundamental rules describing microbial diversity and functional capacity and aimed to contribute to the ‘blue economy’ with the potential to identify novel ocean-derived biotechnologies.

Centres

Members of the Burns lab are also involved with various centres at UNSW, including the newly formed Centre for Marine Science and Innovation (CMSI), and the Australian Centre for Astrobiology (ACA). Dr Burns has recently been appointed Deputy Director of the ACA, a centre that aims to bring together across campus scientists of varying disciplines, from biologists, geologists, astrophysicists, and chemists addressing fundamental questions that define our very existence: ‘How did life evolve’, ‘Are we alone’, ‘What is the future of life’. Other members of the lab are active participants, including Hon Lun Wong and Fraser MacLeod working to give life to the ACA website amongst other ventures.

JAMS

Another important networking avenue for the Burns lab is through the Joint Academic Microbiology Seminars (JAMS) program. Dr Burns has presented several seminars through this informal gathering of microbiologists in the Sydney basin, and the Burns lab are also regular participants at the JAMS annual meeting. The event in 2019 was a huge success, with Burns lab member Fraser MacLeod winning the People’s Choice Award for his poster presentation on the night.