Ian Grainge

Associate Professor Ian Grainge is an academic at the University of Newcastle, affiliated with the School of Environmental and Life Sciences (Biological Sciences Department). His research focuses on bacterial DNA replication, chromosome segregation, and molecular motors such as the FtsK protein. He holds an ARC Future Fellowship (2012) and has secured over $11 million in research funding, including grants from the ARC, NHMRC, and industry partners. Grainge's work aims to develop novel antibiotics targeting bacterial molecular motors and understand mechanisms of antibiotic resistance.

• Education: PhD in Biochemistry (University of Oxford, UK), BA and MA in Natural Sciences (University of Cambridge, UK).
• Research Themes: DNA replication fork stability, FtsK translocation mechanisms, bacterial chromosome segregation, antibiotic resistance gene mobilization, and biofilm-microplastic interactions.

His laboratories study how bacterial proteins like FtsK coordinate cell division and chromosome unlinking. Recent projects include developing genetic tools for pathogen research and exploring the environmental impacts of microplastics on microbial communities. Grainge has supervised over 11 PhD students and collaborates internationally with experts in structural biology, microbiology, and environmental science.

• Grants: ARC Future Fellowship, NHMRC Project Grants, and industry partnerships for bioethanol production and bioplastic development.
• Labs/Teams: Leads a lab investigating bacterial molecular motors and collaborates with the Priority Research Centre for Drug Development and the Hunter Medical Research Institute.