Cynthia Whitchurch

Biography

I am a Research Group Leader in the ithree institute and founding Director of the Microbial Imaging Facility at UTS. I obtained my BSc (Hons I) in 1989 and PhD in 1994 from the University of Queensland. I obtained postdoctoral training at the University of Queensland (1995-2001) and the University of California, San Francisco, USA (2001-2004). In 2004 I received an NHMRC R Douglas Wright Career Development Award (2004-2008) and returned to Australia to establish my own research group in the Department of Microbiology at Monash University.  In 2008 I was recruited to the University of Technology Sydney where I currently lead a research team in the (now) ithree institute. In 2009 I was awarded an NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship. My current research program investigates bacterial lifestyles and their roles in infection and antibiotic resistance. As my research relies heavily on advanced microscopy techniques, I established the Microbial Imaging Facility at UTS to meet these needs. We have rapidly become recognized as world-leaders in the use of super-resolution microscopy techniques to study microbiology. Since joining UTS I have also led the establishment the Microbial Imaging Facility of which I am Director.

Research Interest

My research has produced a number of important paradigm shifts in our understanding of several biological phenomena as outlined below. Versatility of DNA: We have demonstrated that DNA confers several biological functions that are un-related to its role in coding genetic information. When DNA is situated outside of the confines of the cell it functions as a glue to bind biofilms cells to each other and surfaces, it controls bacterial traffic flow by aligning cells to the overall direction of travel, it provides cohesion between cells to co-ordinate their behaviour and it acts as a sticky substrate for type IV pili binding to enable twitching motility. The role of stigmergy in how bacteria self-organise multi-cellular activities: Our reserarch provided a greater understanding of how large populations of bacteria self-organise individual behaviours to enable active expansion of biofilm communities.  Her studies have revealed that eDNA enables motile bacterial cells to co-ordinate their efforts to build a complex interconnected network of furrows which leads to the manifestation of a striking intricate pattern of trails comprised of densely packed, highly organised, motile bacteria.