Brett Neilan

Brett Neilan is a Laureate Professor at the University of Newcastle's School of Environmental and Life Sciences, specializing in molecular microbiology and microbial chemistry. His research focuses on cyanobacteria, genetic engineering, and microbial toxins, with applications in environmental safety and drug discovery. He holds a PhD from the University of New South Wales and has held prestigious fellowships including NASA and Alexander von Humboldt. Neilan's work bridges environmental science and biotechnology, exploring extreme environments for novel microbial compounds.

Research Interests: Cyanobacterial toxins, synthetic biology, and microbial genomics to address water quality and biomedical challenges.

Awards:

• Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship
• NASA Planetary Biology Fellowship
• NHMRC Postdoctoral Training Fellowship

Leadership: Former Head of School and Director of multiple research centers, with extensive industry collaborations.