Alex Andrianopoulos

Professor Alex Andrianopoulos serves as a Professor in the School of BioSciences within the Faculty of Science at the University of Melbourne. His research centers on microbial and developmental genetics, with a particular emphasis on the genetic regulation of dimorphic switching in pathogenic fungi. This involves elucidating the molecular mechanisms that enable fungi to transition between hyphal and yeast morphological forms, a critical adaptation for host colonization, virulence, and survival within host environments. His laboratory employs model organisms such as Talaromyces marneffei, a leading cause of systemic mycoses in immunocompromised individuals in Southeast Asia, and Aspergillus fumigatus, to dissect pathways governing morphogenesis, stress responses, and virulence attributes. Andrianopoulos investigates processes like asexual development, cell wall integrity, and host-pathogen interactions, contributing foundational insights into fungal pathogenicity.

Andrianopoulos obtained his PhD and Bachelor of Science with Honours from the University of Melbourne, where he has built his academic career, transitioning from the Department of Genetics to his current role in the School of BioSciences. He leads the Fungal Genetics laboratory, mentoring PhD students and postdoctoral researchers on projects exploring fungal gene regulation and developmental competence. His scholarly output includes over 160 publications, with notable works such as 'Fungal dimorphism: the switch from hyphae to yeast is a specialized morphogenetic adaptation allowing colonization of a host' (FEMS Microbiology Reviews, 2015), 'The novel Dbl homology/BAR domain protein, MsgA, of Talaromyces marneffei regulates yeast morphogenesis during growth inside host cells' (Scientific Reports, 2021), and 'Co-transformation of Aspergillus fumigatus: a simple and efficient strategy for gene-editing without linking selectable markers' (Access Microbiology, 2025). These publications have amassed thousands of citations, underscoring his impact on the field. Andrianopoulos has been elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology (2021) and has secured major grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and Australian Research Council (ARC), including the project 'Dissecting Virulence Attributes in a Human Pathogenic Fungus' (2016-2021). He has served as a section editor for PLOS Pathogens and as secretary of the Genetics Society of AustralAsia, enhancing knowledge translation and editorial standards in fungal genetics.

Professional Email: alex.a@unimelb.edu.au