Luke Guddat

Professor Luke Guddat is a faculty member at the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, serving as Director of HDR Students. His research focuses on structural biology, enzymology, and drug discovery, particularly targeting bacterial and fungal pathogens. Key areas include enzyme inhibition for herbicides and antimicrobials, structural analysis of mycobacterial transporters, and SARS-CoV-2 entry mechanisms. He leads projects on drug design using cryo-EM and X-ray crystallography.

• Academic Roles: Professor, Director of HDR Students
• Research Themes: Enzyme structures, antimicrobial drug targets, herbicide development

Research Interests: Structural elucidation of enzymes involved in bacterial/fungal pathogenesis, drug resistance mechanisms, and agricultural biotechnology. His work integrates computational modeling, molecular biology, and biochemical assays to design novel therapeutics and herbicides.

Recent studies highlight inhibition of mycobacterial efflux pumps, SARS-CoV-2 entry pathways, and development of antituberculosis agents. Collaborations span universities and institutions, with funding from NHMRC, ARC, and industry partnerships.

• Supervision: Over 25 PhD students, focusing on enzyme inhibition, drug discovery, and structural biology
• Grants: Macromolecular Crystallography CAP, EnzOnomy, and NHMRC IDEAS grants

Labs/Teams: Active in crystallography, cryo-EM, and biochemical assay development. Part of multidisciplinary teams exploring antibiotic resistance and fungal pathogen targets.