Draft:Ian Paulsen

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Ian T Paulsen is a tenured academic professor at Macquarie University. He is a microbiologist, synthetic biologist and scientist in the field of microbial genomics.[1]. His research has focused on characterisation of bacterial transport systems for nutrients and toxic compounds[1] and he has discovered several classes of multidrug efflux pumps that can make bacteria resistant to several drugs by pumping them out of the cell[1][2][3][4][5].

Paulsen is currently the Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology[6] and works with Deputy Director Aleksandra Filipovska. Paulsen is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science[1][7][8] and Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales[9]. He is also a Chief investigator in the ARC Training Centre for Facilitated Advancement of Australia's Bioactives FAAB[10] and a former ARC Laureate Fellow[11].

Education

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Paulsen received his PhD from Monash University in 1994 for his work on molecular analysis of multidrug resistance in Staphylococcus aureus[12].

Career

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Paulsen completed his postdoctoral research as an NHMRC C.J. Martin Fellow at the University of California, San Diego[13][14] and later became a faculty member at the Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) (2002-2007) and worked on microbial genome sequencing projects[15][16][17][18]. In 2007, Paulsen moved back to Australia to work as a Professor at Macquarie University and currently serves as Distinguished Professor and the Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology and Director of the Australian Genome Foundry[6][17][19][20] Paulsen won the 2025 Eureka Prize for Leadership in Science for his national impact in synthetic biology.

Research

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Paulsen's research has advanced understanding of membrane transport systems, microbial physiology and antibiotic resistance mechanisms[21]. He has authored over 350 peer-reviewed publications, which have collectively garnered more than 100,000 citations, earning him an h-index of 139[21]. His notable research contributions include leading genome sequencing projects for pathogens such as Brucella suis[22] and the first complete genomes of Enterococcus[15], Pseudomonas fluorescens[16], and coastal Synechococcus[23], revealing key roles of lateral gene transfer and genomic adaptation in pathogenesis, biocontrol, and marine environmental specialisation. Recognised for his scientific impact, Paulsen was named one of the world's 3000 most influential scientific minds by Thomson Reuters in 2014[24][25][26]. He has been honoured with several prestigious awards, including the 2024 NSW Premier’s Prize for Excellence in Biological Sciences[27]. Paulsen’s genomic sequencing research was reported in the New York Times[28]. His synthetic biology research has been reported in the Washington Post[29]. Paulsen was part of an international team constructing the world’s first synthetic yeast genome, “Yeast 2.0,”[30] by replacing natural DNA with chemically synthesised sequences to engineer microbes for industrial and environmental use; this was reported in ABC News[31][32]. Paulsen is the co-leader of the Australian node of the Sc2.0 (Yeast 2.0) project, which successfully synthesised all 16 native chromosomes to produce the world’s first synthetic eukaryote[32]. Paulsen was featured in articles appearing on Open Access Government[33] and was featured in an Innovation Australia article highlighting the growth and diversification of the Australian bioeconomy beyond medicine, including advancements in synthetic biology[34]. His work continues to shape the landscape of synthetic biology and microbial research in Australia and globally.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Ian Paulsen". www.science.org.au. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  2. ^ Paulsen, Ian T (October 2003). "Multidrug efflux pumps and resistance: regulation and evolution". Current Opinion in Microbiology. 6 (5): 446–451. doi:10.1016/j.mib.2003.08.005. PMID 14572535.
  3. ^ Henderson, Peter J. F.; Maher, Claire; Elbourne, Liam D. H.; Eijkelkamp, Bart A.; Paulsen, Ian T.; Hassan, Karl A. (2021-05-12). "Physiological Functions of Bacterial "Multidrug" Efflux Pumps". Chemical Reviews. 121 (9): 5417–5478. doi:10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c01226. ISSN 0009-2665. PMID 33761243.
  4. ^ Liu, Qi; Hassan, Karl A; Ashwood, Heather E; Gamage, Hasinika K A H; Li, Liping; Mabbutt, Bridget C; Paulsen, Ian T (2018-06-01). "Regulation of the aceI multidrug efflux pump gene in Acinetobacter baumannii". Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. 73 (6): 1492–1500. doi:10.1093/jac/dky034. ISSN 0305-7453. PMC 5961012. PMID 29481596.
  5. ^ Paulsen, I T; Brown, M H; Skurray, R A (December 1996). "Proton-dependent multidrug efflux systems". Microbiological Reviews. 60 (4): 575–608. doi:10.1128/mr.60.4.575-608.1996. ISSN 0146-0749. PMC 239457. PMID 8987357.
  6. ^ a b "About Us". ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  7. ^ "Fellow search block | Australian Academy of Science". www.science.org.au. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  8. ^ "Australia's top scientists elected as Fellows of the Academy | Australian Academy of Science". www.science.org.au. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  9. ^ "Fellows". The Royal Society of NSW. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  10. ^ admin (2022-02-17). "Distinguished Prof Ian Paulsen - FAAB Australia". Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  11. ^ Investment, NSW Trade and (2025-06-30). "ARC Laureate Fellows". Chief Scientist. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  12. ^ Paulsen, Ian T.; Gillespie, Matthew T.; Littlejohn, Tim G.; Hanvivatvong, Orawadee; Rowland, Sally-J.; Dyke, Keith G.H.; Skurray, Ronald A. (April 1994). "Characterisation of sin, a potential recombinase-encoding gene from Staphylococcus aureus". Gene. 141 (1): 109–114. doi:10.1016/0378-1119(94)90136-8. PMID 8163161.
  13. ^ Nguyen, L.; Paulsen, I. T.; Tchieu, J.; Hueck, C. J.; Saier, M. H. (April 2000). "Phylogenetic analyses of the constituents of Type III protein secretion systems". Journal of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology. 2 (2): 125–144. ISSN 1464-1801. PMID 10939240.
  14. ^ Jack, Donald L.; Storms, Michael L.; Tchieu, Jason H.; Paulsen, Ian T.; Saier, Milton H. (2000-04-15). "A Broad-Specificity Multidrug Efflux Pump Requiring a Pair of Homologous SMR-Type Proteins". Journal of Bacteriology. 182 (8): 2311–2313. doi:10.1128/JB.182.8.2311-2313.2000. ISSN 0021-9193. PMC 111283. PMID 10735877.
  15. ^ a b Paulsen, I. T.; Banerjei, L.; Myers, G. S. A.; Nelson, K. E.; Seshadri, R.; Read, T. D.; Fouts, D. E.; Eisen, J. A.; Gill, S. R.; Heidelberg, J. F.; Tettelin, H.; Dodson, R. J.; Umayam, L.; Brinkac, L.; Beanan, M. (2003-03-28). "Role of Mobile DNA in the Evolution of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecalis". Science. 299 (5615): 2071–2074. Bibcode:2003Sci...299.2071P. doi:10.1126/science.1080613. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 12663927.
  16. ^ a b Paulsen, Ian T; Press, Caroline M; Ravel, Jacques; Kobayashi, Donald Y; Myers, Garry S A; Mavrodi, Dmitri V; DeBoy, Robert T; Seshadri, Rekha; Ren, Qinghu; Madupu, Ramana; Dodson, Robert J; Durkin, A Scott; Brinkac, Lauren M; Daugherty, Sean C; Sullivan, Stephen A (2005-07-01). "Complete genome sequence of the plant commensal Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf-5". Nature Biotechnology. 23 (7): 873–878. doi:10.1038/nbt1110. ISSN 1087-0156. PMC 7416659. PMID 15980861.
  17. ^ a b "Ian Paulsen". Macquarie University. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  18. ^ "The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR), J. Craig Venter Institute, J. Craig Venter Science Foundation Consolidate into one Organization — the J. Craig Venter Institute". J. Craig Venter Institute. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  19. ^ "Centre Executive". ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  20. ^ Administration. "Australian Genome Foundry". Macquarie University. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  21. ^ a b "Ian Paulsen". scholar.google.com.au. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  22. ^ Paulsen, Ian T.; Seshadri, Rekha; Nelson, Karen E.; Eisen, Jonathan A.; Heidelberg, John F.; Read, Timothy D.; Dodson, Robert J.; Umayam, Lowell; Brinkac, Lauren M.; Beanan, Maureen J.; Daugherty, Sean C.; Deboy, Robert T.; Durkin, A. Scott; Kolonay, James F.; Madupu, Ramana (2002-10-01). "The Brucella suis genome reveals fundamental similarities between animal and plant pathogens and symbionts". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 99 (20): 13148–13153. Bibcode:2002PNAS...9913148P. doi:10.1073/pnas.192319099. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 130601. PMID 12271122.
  23. ^ Palenik, Brian; Ren, Qinghu; Dupont, Chris L.; Myers, Garry S.; Heidelberg, John F.; Badger, Jonathan H.; Madupu, Ramana; Nelson, William C.; Brinkac, Lauren M.; Dodson, Robert J.; Durkin, A. Scott; Daugherty, Sean C.; Sullivan, Stephen A.; Khouri, Hoda; Mohamoud, Yasmin (2006-09-05). "Genome sequence of Synechococcus CC9311: Insights into adaptation to a coastal environment". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 103 (36): 13555–13559. Bibcode:2006PNAS..10313555P. doi:10.1073/pnas.0602963103. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 1569201. PMID 16938853.
  24. ^ "The World's Most Influential Scientific Minds 2014" (PDF). Thomson Reuters. p. 68.
  25. ^ Denny, Hayley (2021-01-21). "Where are they Now - Ian Paulsen (OH '84)". Old Haileyburians Association. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  26. ^ "Four of our best make World's Most Influential Minds list | This Week At Macquarie University". 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  27. ^ Investment, NSW Trade and (2025-03-21). "2024 Category Winners". Chief Scientist. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  28. ^ "Aliens Inside Us: A (Mostly Friendly) Bacterial Nation (Published 2003)". 2003-04-01. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  29. ^ "Biologists breed life form with lab-made DNA. Don't call it 'Jurassic Park.'". The Washington Post. 2017-01-24. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  30. ^ "Sc2.0". syntheticyeast.github.io. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  31. ^ "Scientists are building yeast 2.0. Here's why that's exciting". ABC News. 2019-09-28. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
  32. ^ a b Goold, Hugh D.; Kroukamp, Heinrich; Erpf, Paige E.; Zhao, Yu; Kelso, Philip; Calame, Julie; Timmins, John J. B.; Wightman, Elizabeth L. I.; Peng, Kai; Carpenter, Alexander C.; Llorente, Briardo; Hawthorne, Carmen; Clay, Samuel; van Wyk, Niël; Daniel, Elizabeth L. (2025-01-20). "Construction and iterative redesign of synXVI a 903 kb synthetic Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosome". Nature Communications. 16 (1) 841: 1–14. Bibcode:2025NatCo..16..841G. doi:10.1038/s41467-024-55318-3. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 11747415. PMID 39833175.
  33. ^ Paulsen, Ian (2023-10-25). "Decarbonising the world economy with synthetic biology". Open Access Government. 40 (1): 464–465. doi:10.56367/OAG-040-11000. ISSN 2516-3817.
  34. ^ Mish (2023-11-17). "The Australian bioeconomy market is more than medicine". InnovationAus.com. Retrieved 2025-08-21.