Forest Molecular Biology and Genetics
Meristem differentiation and pattern formation in the vascular cambium and genetic diversity in relation to wood formation and environmental stress tolerance.
Academic staff
The following staff are available to supervise honours and masters research in the field of forest molecular biology and genetics.
Professor Gerd Bossinger
Forest molecular biology and genetics with an emphasis on cambium differentiation, the regulation of wood formation and wood quality determination in forest trees.
Project topics:
- Unravelling the control of cambium differentiation, wood formation and wound response in commercially important tree species
- Determining adventitious root formation in forest tree micro-cuttings
- Tree improvement and marker assisted selection
Email: gerd@unimelb.edu.au
Dr Peter Ades
The population genetics of trees, particularly eucalypts, their evolution and adaption, the genetic basis of disease resistance and how we can manage disease in cultivated populations.
Email: petera@unimelb.edu.au
Dr Antanas Spokevicius
Research around aspects of production and adaptation of natural and plantation tree populations under future climates through the use of genomics tools.
Project topics:
- Identification of drought tolerance genes in eucalypts from contrasting environments
- Characterisation of genes involved secondary cell wall biosynthesis and wood formation in tree species
- Determining population level genetic variation responsible for adaptation of forest trees to changing climates
Email: avjs@unimelb.edu.au