Sasha Tetu

Dr. Sasha Tetu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Sciences at Macquarie University's School of Natural Sciences. Her research focuses on microbial adaptation to environmental pressures, particularly how mobile genetic elements like integrons contribute to niche adaptation in bacteria. She leads projects investigating the impact of pollutants on marine microbes and the origins of integron gene cassettes. Her work integrates molecular microbiology, 'omics techniques, and bioinformatics.

Dr. Tetu holds a PhD from the University of Sydney and completed postdoctoral research under Prof. Ian Paulsen at Macquarie University. She was awarded an ARC DECRA fellowship (2015–2020) and the J G Russell Award in 2015. Her research group explores topics including plastic leachate effects on marine bacteria, antibiotic resistance spread via integrons, and microbial seed microbiome dynamics for revegetation efforts.

Key projects include assessing pollutants' impact on marine photosynthetic bacteria and studying integron biology in suburban creeks. She collaborates on initiatives like the ARC FAAB Training Centre and leads labs focused on environmental and applied microbiology. Recent publications highlight her work on seed microbiome engineering, integron-driven gene transfer, and subterranean microbial communities.