2023 Laureate Profile: Professor Gene Tyson

Administering Organisation: Queensland University of Technology

Fellowship Project Summary

FL230100159 - From a descriptive to a predictive understanding of the human microbiome

Professor Tyson aims to transform microbial ecology into a predictive science, through intensive investigation of the human gut microbiome as a model ecosystem. By leveraging the power of machine learning, this research project will create a platform to facilitate detailed exploration of the human gut microbiome (a thriving community of bacteria and other organisms), discover and characterise many microorganisms new to science, then use this knowledge to simulate how microbial communities will respond to specific changes. With this new predictive capacity, Australian scientists can move beyond current limitations, developing breakthrough strategies that guide commercial development of products to promote a healthy human microbiome. In collaboration with academic and industry stakeholders, this new knowledge will yield significant environmental, economic, and societal benefits across a range of globally important microbial communities, such as agricultural and climate-critical ecosystems, and biotechnology.

Australian Research Council funding: $3,330,000