Lachlan De Hayr

Dr Lachlan De Hayr is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, under Prof. Alexander Khromykh's RNA Virology Lab. His research focuses on non-coding RNA responses to viral infections, flavivirus pathogenesis, and mosquito vector biology. He holds a PhD in Molecular Biology (UQ, 2020) and has held postdoctoral roles at the University of the Sunshine Coast (2020–2023).
His current work investigates flavivirus sfRNA’s role in inhibiting interferon signaling, using human brain organoids and single-cell sequencing to study encephalitic flaviviruses. He also explores insect-specific viruses as potential tools to block flavivirus transmission. His team recently secured a NHMRC grant ($1.4M, 2025–2028) to study tRNA-half RNAs in flavivirus infection.

Education:

• Bachelor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UQ (2012)
• Masters of Molecular Biology, UQ (2015)
• PhD in Molecular Biology, UQ (2020)

Research Interests:

• Non-coding RNA roles in viral infections (e.g., miRNAs, tiRNAs)
• Neuropathology of neurotropic flaviviruses using brain organoids
• Host-virus interactions in mosquitoes
• Flavivirus NS5 protein structure and function

Key Contributions:

• Identified SLC13A1 variants causing skeletal disorders (2025)
• Characterized GTF3C3-linked intellectual disability (2024)
• Developed RNA activation techniques in insects (2020)

Awards:

• NHMRC Ideas Grant (2025–2028)