About
Rhys Dunstan is a Research Fellow in Microbiology at Monash University, specializing in bacteriophage biology, bacterial membrane protein assembly, and antimicrobial resistance mechanisms. He completed his PhD at Monash in 2016 under Prof. Trevor Lithgow, focusing on multimeric membrane protein assembly. Postdoctoral training at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute introduced him to phage genomics. His research investigates phage interactions with bacterial pathogens like Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella, aiming to combat superbugs and develop phage-based therapies.
Education
- PhD in Microbiology, Monash University (2016)
- Postdoctoral Research, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (2016-2017)
Research Interests
Dr. Dunstan’s work bridges phage biology and bacterial membrane systems, with key focuses on:
- Phage-host interaction dynamics
- Outer membrane protein assembly mechanisms
- Antimicrobial resistance in superbugs (e.g., Klebsiella, Acinetobacter)
Publications Overview
Recent work emphasizes phage cocktail development for broad host targeting, arginine catabolism in polymyxin resistance, and β-barrel protein assembly rules. His studies often employ cryo-EM and next-gen sequencing to elucidate structural and functional pathways.
Awards & Recognition
No specific awards listed, though his work contributes to UN SDG 3 (Good Health) and 12 (Sustainable Consumption) via AMR research.
Advising & Collaboration
Accepting PhD students; collaborates with global teams including Prof. Gordon Dougan (Sanger Institute) and Prof. Fasseli Coulibaly (Monash).
Labs & Teams
Based in the Lithgow Lab at Monash University, contributing to interdisciplinary projects on bacterial pathogenesis and phage therapy.
