Professor Ryan Lister
The University of Western Australia
Research Field: Epigenetics and Genomics
The epigenome – a molecular code superimposed upon the genome that controls how our genes are turned on and off – plays a pivotal role in both normal development and disease/stress states in animals and plants.
Whereas researchers have previously only been able to glimpse snippets of this epigenetic information, by developing cutting edge DNA sequencing techniques, Ryan has generated the first accurate whole-epigenome maps for humans and plants.
His research is giving scientists critical insights into how the epigenome regulates gene expression and is perturbed in disease or stress, providing great leaps forward in our understanding of the epigenome that will provide benefits to human health, regenerative medicine, and agriculture.