Michelle Rourke

Dr. Michelle Rourke is a CSIRO Synthetic Biology Research Fellow at Griffith University's Law Futures Centre within Griffith Law School. Her interdisciplinary work bridges legal frameworks with biological sciences, focusing on how international regulations intersect with modern scientific research practices.

Her primary research areas include:

• International regulation of genetic resources and sovereign rights
• Legal implications of synthetic biology techniques
• Pandemic treaty development and virus sample regulation
• Environmental law and biodiversity management frameworks

Dr. Rourke is currently collaborating with international researchers including Dr. Mark Eccleston-Turner from King's College London and Dr. Stephanie Switzer from the University of Strathclyde on pandemic-related legal frameworks. She also works with Professor Charles Lawson from Griffith Law School and Dr. Frances Humphries from QUT on access and benefit sharing issues, recently publishing an edited collection on these topics.

Her unique background spans microbiology, immunology, and international law, enabling effective cross-disciplinary communication about complex regulatory challenges at the intersection of science and legal systems.