Person
Mackay, Joel (1968 - )
- Born
- 1968
- Occupation
- Biochemist
- Website
- https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7508-8033
Summary
Joel Mackay is a physical biochemist whose research focuses on of protein structure, function and engineering, particularly the molecular mechanisms underlying eukaryotic gene regulation. He discovered the mechanisms behind the vancomycin group of antibiotics, which resulted in improved derivatives, and made significant advances in understanding the transcriptional regulation involved with forming red blood cells. Having attained his PhD at the University of Cambridge, Mackay returned to Australia in 1994, working briefly as an experimental officer at the CSIRO Food Research Laboratory. He then moved to the University of Sydney , initially as a postdoctoral fellow, and progressing to become Chair of the Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences. Mackay is active in professional organisations, and has served as President of the Australian Society of Biochemical and Molecular Biology. Awards received for his research include the Gottschalk Medal from the Australian Academy of Science, and the Science Minister's Prize for Life Scientist of the Year.
Details
Chronology
- 1988
- Education - BSc, University of Auckland, New Zealand
- 1989
- Education - 1989 MSc, University of Auckland
- 1994
- Education - PhD, University of Cambridge
- 1995 - 1996
- Award - ARC Postdoctoral Fellowship
- 1997
- Award - Biophysics Young Investigator Award, Australian Society of Biochemical and Molecular Biology
- 1997 - 2001
- Award - ARC Australian Research Fellowship
- 2001
- Award - Roche Molecular Biochemicals Medal, Australian Society of Biochemical and Molecular Biology
- 2002
- Award - Young Investigator Medal, Australian and New Zealand Society for Magnetic Resonance
- 2002
- Award - Science Minister's Prize for Life Scientist of the Year, Commonwealth of Australia
- 2004 - 2019
- Award - Senior Research Fellowship, National Health and Medical Research Council
- 2006
- Award - Gottschalk Medal, Australian Academy of Science
- 2016
- Award - Labgear Discovery Science Award, Australian Society of Biochemical and Molecular Biology
- 2019 - 2020
- Career position - President, Australian Society for Biochemical and Molecular Biology
Related entries
Published resources
Resources
- Gottschalk Medal, Australian Academy of Science, 2022. https://www.science.org.au/supporting-science/awards-and-opportunities/gottschalk-medal. Details
- 'Mackay, Joel (1968-)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1540487. Details
Resource Sections
- Salt, David, 'Interview with Dr Joel Mackay, biochemist', in Interviews with Australian scientists, Australian Academy of Science, 2002, https://www.science.org.au/learning/general-audience/history/interviews-australian-scientists/dr-joel-mackay-biochemist. Details
Kristijan Causovski and Helen Cohn
Created: 24 April 2013, Last modified: 17 March 2026