DrGhazanfar Khan

I am a plant molecular biologist and Senior Lecturer in Biotechnology and Bioinformatics at Deakin University, based in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences and the Centre for Sustainable Bioproducts.

My research asks a question with big implications for food security: how do plants sense the nutrients available to them, and how do they adjust their growth in response? My group combines molecular genetics, cell biology and genomics to understand how mitochondria, the cell wall and nutrient signalling pathways work together to control plant growth. We apply this knowledge to crops such as canola and barley, with the aim of developing varieties that use fertiliser more efficiently and cope better with stress.

I completed my Master’s at Université Paris Cité and my PhD at the University of Lausanne, then held two back-to-back Swiss National Science Foundation fellowships at the University of Melbourne, followed by an ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) at La Trobe University. I have secured more than $2 million in competitive research funding as a lead investigator and publish in leading journals including Nature Communications, PNAS, Plant Physiology and Plant Biotechnology Journal.
I welcome enquiries from prospective students and from research and industry partners interested in collaborating.