Thursday 1 April 2021 1:18pm
Dr Louise Bicknell studies rare genetic conditions, particularly ones that cause problems in children’s growth and development.
We are delighted to be welcoming Louise to the department as a senior lecturer. She will help to teach undergraduate biochemistry classes as well as lead her own research group on the second floor of the biochemistry building, sharing laboratory space with the Lamont and Hughes labs.
She hasn’t had to move far, relocating from the Otago Department of Pathology, where she started a Rutherford Discovery Fellowship back in 2015.
She brings with her a team of enthusiastic researchers including assistant research fellows Rosie Sullivan and Bridget Fellows, PhD student Meghan Mulligan, visiting student Dr Dario Zimbalatti, MSc student Mischa Ruegg, and Honours student Emily Neilsen. A further assistant research fellow in the lab, Dr Danielle Jenkins, is currently on parental leave and had a very cute baby boy last week!
Louise and her team identify genetic mutations that cause growth or developmental disorders, then figure out exactly what the mutation does inside a person’s cells to create that condition. This research helps affected individuals and their families understand their disorders, and builds knowledge of how various genes contribute to the way humans grow and develop.
Dr Nathan Kenny, currently at at Oxford Brookes University in the UK, has also just been recruited as a new lecturer. He is due to arrive in Dunedin later in the year.
You can find out more about Dr Louise Bicknell and her research here.
Photo above: The Bicknell group on a sunny March morning outside the Biochemistry Department. From top left: Mischa Ruegg, Dr Dario Zimbalatti, and Rosie Sullivan. From bottom left: Emily Neilsen, Meghan Mulligan, Dr Louise Bicknell, and Bridget Fellows.