Biology
About
The ANU Research School of Biology is internationally recognised for its high-impact research in plant sciences, evolution, ecology, genetics, parasitology and biotechnology.
Researchers in the biological sciences at ANU work on issues of global importance, including food security in both Australia and the developing world, new treatments for cancer and type 2 diabetes, and fighting malaria drug resistance.
The School houses the ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, as well as the ANU/CSIRO Centre for Biodiversity Analysis. It has state-of-the-art facilities for a wide range of research projects.
In 2015, the School’s Professor Graham Farquhar was awarded the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science.
Our academics are supported with significant facilities and infrastructure, such as plant growth facilities, green houses, animal housing and a pool of large equipment. The School has a Mass Spectrometry Facility for metabolomics and proteomics and together with CSIRO Plant Industry houses the High Resolution Plant Phenomics Centre of the Australian Plant Phenomics Facility.
Facilities
The ANU North Australian Research Unit campus is a research facility in the Northern Territory with accommodation and other resources for researchers.
The Australian Phenomics Facility supports open access large-scale phenotyping of humans and mice to uncover the biological drivers in human disease.
The Australian Plant Phenomics Facility at ANU is the only place in the world that provides high-calibre public sector access to infrastructure and expertise on crop performance.
The Centre for Advanced Microscopy (CAM) provides state-of-the art microscopy and microanalysis equipment to researchers, students and industry partners.
Compounds ANU (CANU) aims to directly link the leading synthetic chemistry capabilities within the RSC to ANU medical and biological research programs primarily conducted within the RSB and JCSMR.
The Controlled Environment Facility (CEF) houses 20 walk in growth rooms as well as 47 free standing growth chambers, two communal laboratories and two autoclaves.
The Joint Mass Spectrometry Facility (JMSF) was created in 2016 by the Research School of Chemistry and Research School of Biology to consolidate and grow mass spectrometry facilities at ANU.
The 348-hectare ANU Kioloa Coastal Campus is one of Australia’s premier field stations, offering a diverse ecology which encourages research across all scientific disciplines.
The ANU MakerSpace is an initiative by the Research School of Physics and Engineering, where we know people learn by doing.
The National Arboretum Canberra research site provides researchers with a unique environment to investigate climate variability, climate change, water use and precision measurement of trees and forests.
The National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) is home to the Southern Hemisphere’s most highly-integrated supercomputer and filesystems, Australia’s highest performance research cloud, and one of the nation’s largest data catalogues—all supported by an expert team.
The CPAS Podcast Studio is open to staff and students throughout ANU (not just scientists!) to record and grow podcast series. Your success is our success: we want to help you make the biggest and best podcast series in the world.
Our new $240-million science precinct on the ANU campus has state-of-the-art biological and chemical research laboratories, as well as a teaching hub.
News
For the first time since its discovery 130 years ago, one of the most mysterious fossil vertebrates has finally been classified, increasing our possible understanding of the first animals to crawl on Earth.
The biologists and the linguists at ANU might sit on different sides of the campus, but Professor Lindell Bromham from the ANU Research School of Biology says it wasn’t difficult to see the benefits in the two disciplines coming together.
Meet the PhD researcher exploring how bacterial proteins could hold the key to reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.
Researchers have discovered why malaria parasites are vulnerable to some drug therapies but resistant to others, offering scientists another piece of the puzzle in the global fight against the disease.
Mention the superb lyrebird, and you’ll probably hear comments on their uncanny mimicry of human sounds, their presence on the 10 cent coin, and their stunning tail. Far less known – but equally, if not more, impressive – is the Albert’s lyrebird.
Within half a century, Australia’s blue-grey mouse had seemingly disappeared, leaving behind only three scientific specimens. But is the mouse extinct, or just extremely hard to find?