Our Team
Gavin Knott
Gavin earned his Ph.D. from the University of Western Australia where he studied under Prof. Charlie Bond and Prof. Archa Fox. In 2016 he moved to the University of California Berkeley as a postdoctoral fellow under the supervision of Prof. Jennifer Doudna. He started his own independent research group at Monash University in 2021.
Gavin is passionate about RNA, molecular evolution, and training the next generation of innovative scientists.
Cyntia Taveneau
Cyntia is a Research Fellow and cryo-electron microscopist in the Knott Lab. Cyntia is using her structural biology skillset to solve critical questions about the evolution of CRISPR-Cas and how we can better engineer CRISPR systems for applications.
Jenni Hayward
Jenni is a Research Fellow and biochemist in the Knott Lab. Jenni has started a project using high-throughput biochemistry to examine the activity of lots of novel enzymes in parallel. Her work will uncover new ways to synthesize or modify RNA for biotechnology.
Manisha Treeby
Manisha is a Research Fellow in the Knott Lab with extensive experience in molecular biology and biochemistry. Manisha is working to reveal how CRISPR enzymes have evolved to have drastically different biophysical properties. Her work sets the stage to better engineer CRISPR enzymes for RNA detection and diagnostics applications.
Roland Calvert
Roland is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. After completing his Honours in the Knott Lab he is now pursuing a PhD to research how CRISPR-Cas enzymes specifically select and cut RNA. His work will provide key insights into catalysis to accelerate biotech applications.
Giovanni Leandri
Giovanni is a Ph.D. student in the Knott Lab studying novel bacterial defence systems. He is using a combination of bioinformatics, microbiology, and structural biology to describe their function and reveal their potential as tools for biotechnology.
Loki Sangalli
Loki is a Ph.D. student in the Knott Lab building on his Honours and summer research project to develop precise RNA targeting systems. He is now using directed evolution to engineer these systems for specific in vivo applications.
Nathan Chai
Nathan is a Research Scientist in the Knott Lab interested in applying CRISPR-Cas enzymes to solve real world problems. He is driving a project that looks to establish CRISPR point of care diagnostics for use in remote Australian communities in collaboration with Griffith University.
Emily To
Emily is an Honours student continuing on from a summer research project to study a novel family of bacterial immune systems that protect against phage infection.
Interested in RNA, host pathogen interactions, or biotechnology?
Join us at Monash University!