Dr Marnie Blewitt, The Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne
01 September 2011
Reading the Genome
Marnie Blewitt wants to know how a human being is made: how does a single fertilised egg develop into an adult with millions of cells performing a myriad of different functions.
Marnie uses the X chromosome to try to understand epigenetics. The X chromosome is unusual because in males there is only one copy of this chromosome, while in females there are two copies. One of these copies has to be turned off for normal development.
Her L’Oréal For Women In Science Fellowship allowed Marnie to maintain the pace of her research project by funding a research assistant to be her ‘hands’ in the laboratory while she was on maternity leave, and assisted with the cost of childcare once she returned to work.
Qualifications
2004 PhD (Molecular and Microbial Biosciences), University of Sydney
1999 Bachelor of Science, First Class Honours, University of Sydney
Career highlights, awards, fellowships and grants
2009 Australian Academy of Science Ruth Stephens Gani Medal, for human genetics
2008- Senior Research Officer, Hilton Laboratory,
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne
2008 National Health and Medical Research Council grant:
The role of Smchd1 in X inactivation
2007 National Health and Medical Research Council grant:
Molecular Regulation of Blood Cell Production and Function, Co-investigator
2006 National Health and Medical Research Council fellowship:
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne
2005 DG Catcheside Prize for Best PhD in Genetics for 2005,
Genetics Society of Australia
2005-2008 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Hilton Laboratory,
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne
2005 Postdoctoral Researcher, Whitelaw Laboratory, School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences, University of Sydney
2000-2001 Research Assistant in Dr Trevor Biden’s laboratory,
Garvan Institute of Medical Research
1999 University Medal, University of Sydney
Research highlights
- More than 25 presentations at Australian and international conferences and institutions including six invited conference presentations
- Ten journal articles and reviews including four as first author, and one book chapter
- Three visits to international laboratories to collaborate and learn new techniques
- One patent application
- Editorial and peer review for a variety of journals and grants
- Developed a mutagenesis screen for epigenetic modifiers in mice
- Identified certain genes involved in inactivating the X chromosome
