Renfu Shao

Dr. Renfu Shao is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Science, Technology and Engineering at the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC), Queensland, Australia, and a member of the Centre for Bioinnovation. He holds a BAgrSc from Shihezi University and a PhD from The University of Queensland (UQ). His research focuses on mitochondrial genomics, evolutionary biology, and the biodiversity of parasitic organisms, particularly lice and ticks. Dr. Shao is internationally recognized for discovering fragmented mitochondrial genomes in multi-celled eukaryotes.

His work includes studies on the evolution of mitochondrial genome structures in parasitic lice and ticks, with contributions to understanding genome fragmentation, gene rearrangement, and phylogenetic relationships. He collaborates with institutions such as UQ, University of Melbourne, and Chinese research centers. Dr. Shao has received grants including an ARC Discovery Project and postdoctoral fellowships from JSPS and ARC.

• Research Areas: Mitochondrial genome evolution, parasitic lice biodiversity, tick biology, HPV genetics in cervical cancer.
• Notable Projects:
  • Biodiversity of Australian sucking lice.
  • Mitochondrial genome fragmentation in lice and ticks.
  • Genetic analysis of HPV variants in cervical cancer.

Dr. Shao’s publications span over 140 articles, including studies on tick vectors of Lyme disease and the phylogeny of parasitic mites. He is on the editorial boards of PLOS ONE, Scientific Reports, and International Journal of Acarology.