Megan Lenardon

Dr. Megan Lenardon is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), where she returned in 2017 after establishing her research group at the Aberdeen Fungal Group (AFG) at the University of Aberdeen. She obtained her BSc (Hons) in Microbiology from UNSW in 2000 and completed her PhD in Molecular Genetics in 2005 under Prof. Ian Dawes.

Her research focuses on translating basic fungal cell biology to address unmet needs in medical mycology. Dr. Lenardon specializes in Candida albicans cell wall structure and biosynthesis, particularly chitin synthesis regulation. She has developed expertise in utilizing advanced imaging techniques including high pressure freezing/freeze substitution, transmission electron microscopy, and electron tomography to investigate fungal cell wall ultrastructure.

Her recent publications reveal a strong trend toward developing novel antifungal therapies, particularly polymer-based approaches that mimic host-defense peptides. Her work bridges fundamental fungal biology with translational applications, examining bacterial-fungal interactions in the gut microbiome and developing new strategies to combat life-threatening fungal infections.

• Convenor, Eukaryotic Microbes Special Interest Group of the ASM
• Committee Member - ASM NSW/ACT branch
• Editorial Board Member - The Cell Surface
• Former Academic Editor - PLoS One (2014-2022)
• Recipient of Medical Research Council (UK) New Investigator award

Dr. Lenardon actively supervises multiple PhD and Honours students, with current projects focusing on antifungal polymers, gut microbiome interactions, and Candida pathogenesis. She collaborates extensively with Prof. Cyrille Boyer in Chemical Engineering and Dr. Sascha Brunke at the HKI in Jena, Germany. Her research addresses the urgent clinical need for new diagnostics and therapies for invasive candidiasis, which affects over 1.5 million people worldwide annually with a 35% mortality rate even with treatment.

She leads research on three main fronts: cell wall structure and biosynthesis, development of antifungal polymers, and gut fungi interactions. Her laboratory employs advanced imaging, molecular genetics, and collaborative polymer chemistry approaches to develop innovative solutions for fungal infections.