University of Adelaide
Frank’s general research interest is to understand how the genetic material of different species is organised in the cell. This reveals how the genome has changed over time and identifies the bits that have been maintained over millions of years, which therefore must have an essential function, also in humans.
Dr Grützner worked on different species including apes, marsupials, and fish- but since coming to Australia he has been fascinated with two extraordinary and iconic species: platypus and echidnas. The scientific history of these animals is as weird as the animals themselves. Scientifically these egg-laying mammals are invaluable as they are living representatives of the earliest offshoot of mammals.