OUR TEAM
Our team of researchers are making important discoveries in our area of focus. While everyone is working in their particular field, our collaborative Scientific Research Laboratory means that we are all working towards a common goal. Read on to find out more.
STEPHIN VERVOORT
PI / Group Leader
Stephin completed his PhD at Utrecht University in the Netherlands in 2015 studying transcriptional regulation in breast cancer. After completing his degree he joined the lab of Prof. Ricky Johnstone at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia. Here he developed his own independent research lines investigating fundamental mechanisms of RNA Polymerase II mediated gene regulation and the targeting thereof in cancer. At the start of 2022, Stephin started his own lab at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne in the Epigenetics and Development Division. His work is supported by two prestigious fellowships from the Snow Medical Research Organisation and CSL.
LAURA CORSO
PhD Student
Laura Corso graduated in Biology in 2018 at the University of Rome Tor Vergata where she worked on the characterization of variants by Sanger sequencing. During her Master of Science at the University of Rome Tor Vergata she investigated the role of the Chaperone Mediated Autophagy (CMA) in the epathocellular carcinoma (HCC). Because of her interest in cancer biology she now joins the Vervoort lab as PhD student in order to discover and characterise novel transcriptional regulators that are dysregulated in cancer.
ANDREA MUSCAT
Senior Research Assistant / Lab manager
Andrea completed a Bachelor of Science degree (with honours) from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at The University of Melbourne. Since then, she worked at the Children's Cancer Centre within the MCRI/RCH and then at Barwon Health/Deakin University when her previous lab relocated there. She has a background in translational cancer research, and has spent almost two decades defining the genetic and epigenetic profiles of solid tumours and investigating the therapeutic potential of novel epigenetic modifiers. Her research efforts were largely focused on glioblastoma, and both renal rhabdoid tumour and atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumour of the CNS.
Now, joining the Vervoort Lab at WEHI she will explore the molecular regulation of the epigenetic and transcriptional landscape and how it can be modulated in disease.
OLIVER OZAYDIN
PhD Student
Oliver commenced his PhD studies with the University of Melbourne during March 2022. Graduating from Monash University (Bachelor of Science Advanced - Research (Honours)) majoring in Genetics and Immunology, Oliver completed his Honours year under supervision from Professor Mauro D'Amato. During his honours year, he assessed the relevance of sucrase-isomaltase hypomorphic gene variants in Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) patient cohorts.
Fascinated with transcription and epigenetics, Oliver is hoping to leverage his previous experiences in genetics, immunology and bioinformatics to explore fundamental mechanisms underpinning transcriptional regulation
CHLOE GERAK
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Chloe completed her PhD at the University of British Columbia in Canada in 2020 where she was studying a protein domain implicated in numerous chromosomal translocations that result in cancer. There, she was utilising biophysical and structural techniques to characterise the protein-protein interaction and in vivo and in silico screening assays for drug development. She had a short postdoc at University of Melbourne where she gained experience with cross linking mass spectrometry and high resolution microscopy studying mechanisms of protein aggregation. She is co-supervised by Shabih Shakeel, and in the Vervoort lab she is using her skills to characterise proteins and protein networks involved in transcriptional dysregulation and chromosomal translocations.
Out of the lab, you will find her exploring remote areas, baking something new, or playing volleyball.
DÁIRE GANNON
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Dáire will join in October
SARAHI RIVERA
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Genomics
OLIVIA VOULGARIS
Undergraduate Student
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REEAN ABDULLAH
Research Assistant
Reean has recently completed her honour degree at PeterMac and is workin between our lab and the Feltham lab on degron-technologies
