MACSYS appoints new Director and Deputy Director
The ARC Centre of Excellence for the Mathematical Analysis of Cellular Systems (MACSYS) is entering its next chapter, with Professor Jennifer (Jen) Flegg appointed as Centre Director and Professor Mike McDonald appointed as Deputy Director.
Bringing together internationally recognised leaders in mathematical and biological sciences, the appointments reflect a commitment from MACSYS to integrating theory and experimentation to transform understanding of the cell.
Jen is a Professor of Applied Mathematics at The University of Melbourne and a world-leading expert in mathematical biology. Her research focuses on developing mathematical models to answer complex questions in biology and medicine.
“Mathematical biology is my area of research, so leading a Centre that brings theoreticians and biologists together is an amazing opportunity for me,” said Jen.
Mike leads the Microbial Experimental Evolution Laboratory in the School of Biological Sciences at Monash University and has established himself as a national leader in research at the intersection of evolution, genomics and microbiology.
Together, Jen and Mike represent the complementary strengths of the wet- and dry-lab sciences that underpin the Centre's collaborative approach across its five partner universities.
“When modellers and experimentalists are genuinely working together, not just side by side, truly transformative work is possible,” said Mike. “Having leadership that lives in both worlds means we understand the challenges and opportunities on each side, and we can make sure neither voice gets lost.”
Since commencing operations in 2024, MACSYS has established a strong foundation for its mission to develop mathematically rigorous models of cellular systems that are deeply informed by biology.
“We've built real progress across our four research themes,” said Jen. “What excites me most is pushing our research towards modelling whole-cell behaviour and ensuring that our work remains deeply connected across disciplines. The whole point of MACSYS is that ideas travel further when theoreticians and biologists work on them together than either could alone.”
A key part of that vision is continuing to break down disciplinary barriers and build a shared research culture.
“Walk into a meeting and you've got mathematicians and microbiologists pretty much finishing each other's sentences at this point,” said Mike. “That didn't happen by accident. It's been built deliberately through the right people, the right projects, and taking the time to meet and work together. That culture is MACSYS's greatest asset, and we intend to strengthen it even further.”
Jen steps into the role after serving as Deputy Director to Professor Trevor Lithgow for the past 15 months. Both Jen and Mike acknowledged Trevor's contribution in guiding the Centre through its formative period.
“Mike and I are stepping into these leadership roles at a great time,” said Jen. “Trevor has spent the past 15 months establishing the foundations, building connections and shaping the research direction of the Centre. We are fortunate to be able to build on that work.”
“Trevor took on the role at a pivotal stage in MACSYS's development and brought exactly what was needed: clear direction, strong processes and a steady hand,” said Mike. “Many of the initiatives he introduced will continue to shape the Centre's future.”
As MACSYS enters its next chapter, Jen and Mike aim to deepen the culture of collaboration that has become one of the Centre's defining strengths, advancing its shared goal of developing a predictive understanding of cellular behaviour.
MACSYS Deputy Director Named a 2026 Fellow of the Science Academy
When Jennifer Flegg began studying mathematics as an undergraduate, she thought she might become an actuary. Instead, she found herself modelling something far more complex than financial risk or life expectancy: life itself.
Now, for her internationally recognised work in mathematical biology, Jen has been named a 2026 Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science.
“There aren't many Science Academy fellows researching in mathematical biology,” she said. “I’m hoping this brings more recognition to the field in its own right.”
Jen is a Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Melbourne, where she develops mathematical models to tackle complex problems in biology and medicine. Her research has advanced understanding in areas ranging from wound healing and tumour growth to infectious disease spread.
Her work is deeply interdisciplinary, with impact extending beyond mathematics into medicine, immunology, computer science and the biological sciences.
“I love the interdisciplinary nature of mathematical biology,” she said. “I hope this honour highlights how important it is to work across disciplines to answer big scientific questions.”
As Deputy Director and a Chief Investigator of MACSYS, Jen is helping bridge the divide between “wet lab” and “dry lab” researchers. While the Centre’s long-term goal is to build whole-cell models, she says there is equal value in simply bringing different perspectives together.
“When people with different mindsets collaborate, they challenge assumptions that may have gone unquestioned for years,” she said. “That’s how breakthroughs happen.”
Alongside her research, Jen is a strong advocate for diversity in mathematics. She previously chaired and is still active in the Women in Mathematics Special Interest Group (WIMSIG) within the Australian Mathematical Society.
“The group supports women, trans and gender-diverse people in the mathematical sciences,” she said. “It’s been incredibly rewarding to work towards making mathematics more inclusive in Australia.”
She hopes her election to the Academy will also help drive change.
“I’d like to use this opportunity to advocate for greater diversity among the Academy’s Fellows.”
The honour continues a string of major accolades. In 2025, Jen received the ANZIAM EO Tuck Medal, the organisation’s top award for mid-career researchers. Earlier, she was awarded both the JH Michell Medal (ANZIAM) and the Christopher Heyde Medal (Science Academy) for early-career excellence, and in 2021 received the Leah Edelstein-Keshet Prize from the Society for Mathematical Biology.
But for Jen, the motivation remains simple.
“I love working with fantastic students, research fellows and collaborators,” she said. “It keeps me excited to keep learning.”
Congratulations, Jen, an honour that’s well deserved!
MACSYS Research Fellow selected for prestigious Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting
MACSYS Research Fellow Dr Thomas Williams has been selected for a once‑in‑a‑career opportunity, becoming one of only nine early‑career researchers from Australia chosen to attend the 75th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Germany.
Thomas is a mathematical and computational biologist with MACSYS at The University of Melbourne. The Australian Academy of Science selected him to represent Australia at the prestigious international meeting, which will bring together more than 600 outstanding young scientists from nearly 90 countries.
The event will also host around 75 Nobel Laureates, giving emerging researchers rare opportunities to hear first‑hand accounts of prize‑winning discoveries and to engage directly with the scientists behind them.
“The chance to hear about Nobel Prize‑winning work directly from the scientists themselves is a pretty surreal prospect,” said Thomas.
The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings are held annually in Lindau, Germany. Each year traditionally highlights a specific scientific discipline, but this year’s meeting will be interdisciplinary, bringing together researchers and laureates from across the Nobel sciences.
“Interdisciplinary is a wonderfully vague category of science,” said Thomas. “I’m looking forward to seeing the full sweep of interesting topics that fall under that banner.”
Beyond the formal program, the meeting provides a unique space for early‑career researchers to share their work, exchange ideas, and build international networks with peers from around the world.
“I’m keen to meet as many other researchers as possible and learn about the exciting work they’re doing,” said Thomas.
“It will be great to learn about new science, as well as to hear from the world’s best scientists about how to work effectively across disciplines.”
The 75th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting will run from 28 June to 3 July. The Australian delegation’s participation is proudly supported through the Science and Industry Endowment Fund (SIEF) and administered by the Australian Academy of Science.
The nine Australian Lindau delegates receive a grant to support their attendance and will also take part in the SIEF Research Innovation Tour in Berlin, showcasing Germany’s leading research and development facilities connected to interdisciplinary science.
“I’m ecstatic to be chosen for this,” said Thomas. “It’s an incredible opportunity, not just to hear about new research, but to learn new approaches to doing research and working across disciplines.”
Congratulations, Thomas!
Podcast Features MACSYS Mathematicians
The Random Sample podcast launched its 2026 by featuring two MACSYS Mathematicians, Professors Adelle Coster (UNSW) and Mat Simpson (QUT). Adelle and Mat share how maths - combined with biological expertise - come together in MACSYS as our researchers work toward something extraordinary: a predictive, computational model of a living cell.
🎧 To listen, just search for The Random Sample wherever you get your podcasts, or head to: https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/macsys-pt1/
MACSYS is proud to be the new, primary partner organisation supporting The Random Sample!
Is antibacterial or regular hand soap best for killing germs?
MACSYS Associate Investigator Dr Francesca Short was featured in this insightful ABC News story on hand hygiene and antibacterial soap.
Dr Short’s research shows that products labelled “antibacterial” aren’t necessarily more effective than plain soap and water at preventing illness - and that labelling isn’t a reliable indicator of whether antimicrobial additives are even present. Dr Short is a Senior Lecturer in Microbiology at Monash University’s Centre to Impact Antimicrobial Resistance.
👉ABC News story: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-18/antibacterial-versus-normal-hand-soap-preventing-illness/106462854
QUT Undergrads Dive into Real-World Research with MACSYS
Two undergraduate QUT students get a taste of what it’s like to be a research scientist as they tackled problems at the intersection of statistics and biology with the help of MACSYS.
Monique Soth and Phuc (Leon) Vo, both Bachelor of Data Science students, took part in QUT’s Vacation Research Experience Scheme (VRES) over the summer. Their projects were proposed and supervised by MACSYS–QUT Chief Investigator Professor Chris Drovandi, with additional mentorship from collaborators at UNSW and the University of Melbourne.
For Monique’s project, Chris collaborated with MACSYS Research Fellow Dr Vinz Hofferek and Dr Eleanor Saunders at the University of Melbourne to obtain metabolomics data generated using high‑throughput, cutting‑edge sample preparation. This modern technique allows for huge sample preparations in a 96‑well format.
In this experiment, each well ideally holds an independent sample, and Monique’s statistical task was to assess whether the laboratory methods actually achieved that independence.
“My project involved doing statistical analysis to determine whether the experimental methods used in the lab were effective in making independent samples,” Monique explained. “It felt meaningful to be working on something that could directly help researchers refine their experimental processes.”
Leon’s project drew on challenges arising from analysing biological data, as encountered in research by MACSYS Chief Investigator Professor Adelle Coster (UNSW) and PhD Candidate Brock Sherlock. Leon developed computationally efficient methods for estimating model parameters even when the timing of experimental measurements is imperfect - something that frequently happens in real lab settings. By accounting for these timing errors, his techniques allow researchers to recover the true biological dynamics with greater confidence.
For Leon, this was an eye‑opening introduction to interdisciplinary science.
“I was surprised by how I could apply statistics to biology,” Leon said. “It’s something I never thought about in high school or when I first started university, but now it’s an area I’m excited to explore.”
Both students said their projects gave them a genuine sense of what it’s like to be a researcher.
“The whole experience was interesting and fun,” Monique said. “But also, I felt that what I was doing was meaningful and could be helpful down the road for the researchers who worked with me.”
“It was great to meet and work with people like Chris and Adelle,” Leon added. “They’ve motivated me to follow mathematics and statistics and maybe apply them in areas like biology.”
Chris said both students were a pleasure to supervise.
“They went above and beyond what might be expected of an undergraduate vacation research student and produced genuinely useful outcomes that will spark further research,” he noted.
Monique and Leon presented their findings at the VRES Showcase Day, where, according to Chris, “both delivered outstanding presentations.”
Chris said both projects were inspired by discussions at MACSYS workshops and retreats in 2025, demonstrating the capacity of MACSYS to generate new research opportunities for students and investigators alike.
Feature Image (L-R): Monique Soth, Prof Chris Drovandi, Phuc (Leon) Vo
MACSYS PhD Student Awarded Prize for Best Student Presentation at ANZIAM
Congratulations to MACSYS PhD student Yong See (Elijah) Foo from The University of Melbourne, who has been awarded the TM Cherry Prize for the best student presentation at the recent ANZIAM Conference.
ANZIAM - the Australia and New Zealand Industrial and Applied Mathematics conference - was held this year in Canberra and brings together researchers working in applied mathematics, those applying mathematical methods in industry and business, and educators involved in teaching mathematics at the tertiary level.
The TM Cherry Prize is presented annually for the most outstanding student talk delivered at the conference.
“I was honoured to receive the TM Cherry Award, as it is uncommon for a piece of work in statistics to be recognised at an applied mathematics conference,” Elijah said.
Elijah’s winning paper examined statistical model selection, a common tool used by mathematical biologists to identify the most plausible mathematical explanations for a given biological system. Traditional model selection methods rely on the availability of large data sets. But Elijah’s research highlights why these methods may fail in certain mathematical biology contexts.
“Biological experiments are often costly to perform, which means large data sets aren’t always available,” he explained. “My research explores a new alternative approach that works effectively with limited data and is computationally efficient.”
Beyond presenting his research, Elijah also participated in the conference’s Early Career Workshop, which featured sessions on scientific presentations, networking, grant writing, and careers beyond academia.
One piece of advice particularly resonated with him:
“The speaker noted that mathematicians can sometimes overload presentation slides with technical detail, as if the volume of equations reinforces our credibility, only to lose the audience,” he said. “It was a timely reminder that the impact of a presentation lies not in technical display, but in clear communication that respects the audience.”
Elijah is supervised at The University of Melbourne by MACSYS Deputy Director Professor Jennifer Flegg and MACSYS Associate Investigator Dr Alex Browning. Notably, Alex was also awarded the TM Cherry Prize in 2021.
“Elijah’s research is impressive in both its innovation and its technical depth,” noted Alex.
“It takes considerable skill to explain such complex ideas clearly and to engage an audience that may not be familiar with his area of study.”
Elijah credits much of his success at ANZIAM to the support of his PhD peers, who offered constructive feedback as he prepared his presentation.
Congratulations, Elijah, on this outstanding achievement!
Feature image: Elijah (centre) with supervisors Prof Jen Flegg and Dr Alex Browning
MACSYS Partners with EMBL Australia for Prestigious PhD Training Course
MACSYS proudly partnered with EMBL Australia for the 2025 edition of its flagship PhD training program, serving as a course sponsor for the prestigious two-week residential event held in December. More than 60 high-achieving students from diverse research fields across Australia gathered at the South Australian Immunogenomics Cancer Institute (SAiGENCI) in Adelaide for this immersive experience.
As part of the program, MACSYS researchers led two dedicated teaching days, introducing participants to the Centre’s ambitious mission of modelling an entire cell.
“Our goal was to provide an introduction to the concepts and methodologies driving MACSYS’ efforts to model a whole cell,” explained Professor Eduardo Eyras, Chief Investigator at ANU and EMBL-Australia Group Leader.
The first day focused on mathematical modelling in biological networks, offering students – particularly those from wet-lab backgrounds – a fresh perspective on computational approaches.
“I wanted to demonstrate how models can serve as powerful tools that complement experimental work,” noted Professor Lan Nguyen, Chief Investigator at Monash University and leader of the Computational Systems Oncology Program at SAiGENCI.
The second day shifted to data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, highlighting how these techniques intersect with biological research.
“By presenting these approaches together, we hoped students would see the potential for integrating them in cell biology and beyond,” added Eduardo.
With participants spanning both wet and dry lab disciplines, MACSYS emphasised the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration.
“This was an opportunity to train the next generation of talent,” said Professor Nguyen. “We want them to adopt an open mindset, one that enables them to step beyond their immediate expertise and engage with the language of researchers on the other side of the wet-dry divide.”
Among the MACSYS speakers was Dr Lucy Ham, a Research Fellow at The University of Melbourne. Transitioning from a pure mathematics background to computational biology, she shared her unique perspective on interdisciplinary research.
“It was incredibly rewarding to speak with these students and show that moving between disciplines is possible,” reflected Lucy. “For those with a biology focus, I hope it sparks curiosity about modelling and how they might incorporate it into their work.”
The EMBL Australia organisers praised the MACSYS contribution, noting that the two teaching days aligned perfectly with the program’s mission to give students a head start in their scientific careers.
“Our collaboration with MACSYS for this year’s course exemplifies a shared commitment to developing Australia’s next generation of life science leaders – across states, disciplines and institutions,” said EMBL Australia’s Chief Operating Officer Annette Wittmann. “We thank MACSYS for sharing their expertise in mathematical modelling and computational biology and for the great enthusiasm and energy. We look forward to working together in the future!”
The MACSYS teaching team also included Chief Investigator Professor Richi Nayak (QUT), Research Fellow Dr Anthony Hart (Monash University), and Research Fellow Ke Ding (ANU).
Feature image (L-R): Anthony Hart, Lan Nguyen, Eduardo Eyras, Lucy Ham, Puning Wang (PhD Student), Ke Ding.
MACSYS Researchers Shine in Global Hackathon
A discussion at the MACSYS retreat ends just weeks later with three MACSYS researchers taking part in a global hackathon – and finishing on a top-three team in the world in their category.
The three researchers, Dr Sophie Wharrie (University of Melbourne) and Dr Ke Ding and Jingsen Yang (ANU), joined an international team to take part in the recently completed Evolved 25 AI x Bio Global Sprint Hackathon, an intensive 10-day event attracting more than 100 teams worldwide.
“We first heard about this hackathon during the retreat and thought it would be a great opportunity. We stayed up late to pull together an application that aligned with our interests and submitted it right then and there,” Ke recalled.
The trio teamed up with Diatom Biolab, a group of startup founders, wet-lab scientists, bioinformaticians and AI engineers from Australia, China and the United States. The team was selected as one of just 10 groups worldwide to compete in one of the three hackathon challenge areas: “Integrative Intelligence in Biomedical Systems Modelling.”
Over the intense 10-day sprint, the group explored synthetic lethality prediction - a promising strategy in cancer therapy that aims to identify pairs of genes whose joint disruption kills tumour cells but leaves healthy cells unharmed. The MACSYS trio led the modelling work to try to predict gene combinations that might work.
“Finding these pairs experimentally is extremely difficult when you consider there are about 200-million possible combinations,” said Sophie.
The team took an AI-Machine learning approach known as virtual cell modelling. These are computational models for predictive biology trained on millions of biological data points.
“In just 10 days, we were able to get a basic model working that predicted gene pair possibilities, including some that hadn’t been tested before,” she said.
Wet-lab members of the team could then run experiments on those predictions, feed the results back into the algorithms, and iteratively improve the system, making it virtuous cycle of modelling and experimentation.
The 10-day sprint meant that team had to work across time zones. That turned out to be both a challenge and an advantage.
“One memorable aspect was how we worked almost around the clock,” Ke said. “Australia-based members would often work until midnight, then hand everything over to the U.S.-based teammates who were just starting their day.”
Although the sprint focussed on synthetic lethality, the MACSYS team saw the event as an opportunity to advance their broader research goals. “Our main interest wasn’t in the challenge task itself,” Ke said. “We’re focused on how virtual cell models could support MACSYS’ ambition of building a Whole Cell Model. This was a great way to explore questions central to that work.”
Sophie echoed that sentiment. “I’m excited to take what I learned into the rest of my research. The sprint gave me a chance to quickly test and validate some of my intuitions about how these models behave.”
For Jingsen, taking part in a global sprint like this during his PhD was a rare and valuable opportunity.
“You always learn something from others,” he said, “whether it’s getting inspiration from someone in my own discipline or discovering new approaches from teammates with completely different backgrounds.”
The team’s performance earned them one of only nine invitations to present their results at NVIDIA’s headquarters, where one of the U-S based team members will share the team’s work with investors, potential partners and NVIDIA researchers. It’s a strong finish to an intense global challenge.
FEATURE IMAGE: Sophie, Jingsen & Ke at the MACSYS Research Fellow/Student Workshop at The University of Melbourne during the MACSYS Retreat Week
MACSYS Research Fellow Awarded ARC DECRA
The Australian Research Council awards MACSYS Research Fellow Dr Sami Al-Izzi (UNSW) a 2026 Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA).
Project details:
- Title: Active Mechanics of Biological Interfaces.
- Funding amount: $506,852
- Summary: Biology is typified by thin deforming interfaces that undergo complex geometric changes. Examples include lipid membranes and thin layers of epithelial tissue that form the basis of organs. The proposed research will develop mathematical methods to build models of these active living interfaces using tools from the fields of differential geometry, continuum mechanics and active matter. The project will focus on three aims, each displaying general mathematical characteristics, but with specific examples in biology that have so far evaded mathematical analysis. The development of these novel methods will bridge a substantial knowledge gap and tackle a problem that has stalled the feedback between theory and experiment in mathematical biology.
Congratulations, Sami!