Ian Small

Roles and Affiliations: Ian Small is a Professor and Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology at The University of Western Australia (UWA). He leads research in molecular biology, systems biology, and bioinformatics, focusing on plant organelles.

Education: PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Edinburgh (1988), followed by postdoctoral research at INRA, France. Tenured research scientist positions included roles at INRA’s Plant Genetics & Breeding Station and Plant Genomics Unit.

Research Interests: Ian’s work centers on plant mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes, RNA editing, and pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins. His discoveries include the dynamic evolution of mitochondrial genomes and the foundational role of PPR proteins in organelle gene expression. Current projects involve CRISPR-based genetic circuits and applications of synthetic PPR proteins.

Awards and Grants: Recipient of the WA State Premier’s Research Fellowship (2005) and multiple ARC grants, including a $22.3 million award for the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology (2005–2013). Recent awards include the 2022 UWA Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Research Impact and Innovation.

Labs and Projects: Leads the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space, exploring plant adaptation to extreme environments. Collaborates internationally on functional genomics and CRISPR technologies.