2020 Laureate Profile: Professor Harvey Millar
Professor Harvey Millar
Administering Organisation: The University of Western Australia
Fellowship project summary:
FL200100057: This project aims to understand the processes and genes that regulate synthesis and degradation of proteins in wheat and barley plants. This project will develop methodologies and a new field of research for optimising protein stability in crops. Its significance lies in defining new ways to control protein abundance to increase crop performance and quality and increase the value of recombinant proteins for biotech industries. Expected outcomes will enable the protein abundance in plant cells to be designed and control selective protein degradation in plants for the first time. Benefits will include building biotechnology capacity in WA, brokering new collaborations and providing an ideal training environment for students and postdoctoral scientists.
Australian Research Council funding: $3,311,491.00
About Professor Millar
Harvey Millar is a Professor in the School of Molecular Sciences, Faculty of Science, at The University of Western Australia and is the Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology.
Professor Millar's research focuses on plant proteomics, mitochondrial function in plants and the role of central metabolism and protein metabolism in the energy efficiency of plants. His advances allow measurements of protein turnover rates in plants and targeted quantitation of enzymes in metabolic pathways in both model plants and crops. His research has increased understanding of the role respiration plays in providing the energy needed to modify plant proteomes under limiting conditions.
For his research achievements, Professor Millar was elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 2020 and was awarded the Premier of Western Australia’s Scientist of the Year award in 2017 for services to scientific research and the community. He serves on the Editorial Board of The Plant Cell.
Find out more about Professor Millar’s research by visiting his profile page on The University of Western Australia website.
For further information about this funding scheme, please visit the Australian Laureate Fellowships scheme page.
Image credit: The University of Western Australia