معرفی
Associate Professor Johanna Kenyon is an ARC Future Fellow at Griffith University's School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, where she leads the Bacterial Polysaccharides Research laboratory. Her work focuses on Acinetobacter baumannii, a WHO critical priority bacterial pathogen, investigating the genetics of surface polysaccharides to inform clinical surveillance and non-antibiotic therapeutics.
- Education:
- PhD in Microbiology (2012), University of Sydney
- Graduate Certificate in Academic Practice (2015), Queensland University of Technology
Research Interests: Kenyon specializes in bacterial surface carbohydrates, particularly capsular and lipooligosaccharides in A. baumannii. Her research integrates genomics, biochemistry, and structural biology to decode polysaccharide biosynthesis pathways and their role in antibiotic resistance and phage interactions. Key themes include glycan diversity, horizontal gene transfer, and translating genomic insights into diagnostic tools.
Recent Article Trends: Her 15 most recent publications highlight structural and genetic diversity in A. baumannii polysaccharides, including novel modifications like 8-epipseudaminic acid and phage-mediated acetylation. She employs genomic analysis, carbohydrate chemistry, and bioinformatics to map evolutionary pathways and resistance mechanisms, with implications for therapeutic design.
- Scientific Awards:
- Australian Society for Microbiology (ASM) Frank Fenner Award (2023)
- ASM Jim Pittard Award (2017)
Supervision & Grants: Kenyon supervises doctoral students and has secured significant funding, including an ARC Future Fellowship (2024–2028) for researching bacterial polymer determinants and a DECRA Fellowship (2018–2023) on polysaccharide biosynthesis. She contributes to the Ab-web platform for collaborative research.
Labs & Teams: Affiliated with Griffith University's Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics and the Griffith Health group, she collaborates globally on projects like the Kaptive database, advancing carbohydrate-based diagnostics and therapeutics.
