Dr Michael Ayliffe: improving rust resistance

Dr Michael Ayliffe aims to improve rust resistance in cereals by using transgenic (gene technology) approaches.

• 7 June 2010 | Updated 24 November 2011

Overview

• Current activities
• Background
• Acadamic quallifications 
• Achievements

Current activities

Dr Michael Aylliffe has developed and is screening a barley activation tagging population based upon a maize transposable element system, for resistance to barley leaf rust.

He is analysing the molecular basis of rice nonhost resistance to cereal rusts with the aim that these genes can be transferred to wheat to provide durable rust resistance. 

He also has research interests in chloroplast genome evolution.

Background

Dr Ayliffe examined the molecular evolution of plant chloroplast genomes based upon transfer of chloroplast DNA sequences to the plant cell nucleus during his doctoral studies.

Academic qualifications

Dr Ayliffe has received a:

• Bachelor of Science from the University of Adelaide, South Australia, majoring in genetics and microbiology/immunology
• Bachelor of Science Honours from Flinders University of South Australia, in microbiology/immunology
• a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Adelaide, in plant molecular biology

Dr Ayliffe's doctoral work was funded by the Cotton Seed Distributors, Wee Waa, NSW.

Achievements

As part of the Rust Research Team Dr Ayliffe won the CSIRO Medal in 2004.

See a list of scientific papers published by Dr Ayliffe on the next page.