Rate Professor Alicia Oshlack

Professional Summary: Professor Alicia Oshlack

Professor Alicia Oshlack is a distinguished bioinformatician and computational biologist affiliated with the University of Melbourne and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Renowned for her pioneering work in genomics and data analysis, she has made significant contributions to the field of bioinformatics, particularly in the development of statistical methods for analyzing high-throughput sequencing data.

Academic Background and Degrees

Professor Oshlack holds a PhD in Astrophysics from the University of Melbourne, where she initially focused on computational methods in a different scientific domain before transitioning to bioinformatics. Her academic journey reflects a strong foundation in mathematics and computational sciences, which she has adeptly applied to biological research.

Research Specializations and Academic Interests

Her research primarily focuses on the development of computational and statistical tools for analyzing genomic data, with an emphasis on transcriptomics and epigenomics. Professor Oshlack is particularly noted for her work on methods for differential expression analysis in RNA sequencing data, which has become foundational in modern genomic research. Her interests also include cancer genomics and the application of bioinformatics to understand complex diseases.

Career History and Appointments

• Head of Bioinformatics, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne
• Associate Professor, University of Melbourne
• Previously, Senior Research Fellow at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
• Research Fellow at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, where she contributed to early developments in next-generation sequencing analysis

Major Awards, Fellowships, and Honors

• Recipient of the Australian Academy of Science’s Ruth Stephens Gani Medal (2011) for distinguished research in human genetics
• Awarded an NHMRC Career Development Fellowship, recognizing her leadership in bioinformatics

Key Publications

Professor Oshlack has authored numerous influential papers in high-impact journals. Below are some of her key contributions:

• Robinson, M.D., McCarthy, D.J., & Oshlack, A. (2010). 'edgeR: a Bioconductor package for differential expression analysis of digital gene expression data.' Bioinformatics.
• Oshlack, A., & Wakefield, M.J. (2009). 'Transcript length bias in RNA-seq data confounds systems biology.' Biology Direct.
• McCarthy, D.J., Chen, Y., & Oshlack, A. (2012). 'Differential expression analysis of multifactor RNA-Seq experiments with respect to biological variation.' Nucleic Acids Research.

Influence and Impact on Academic Field

Professor Oshlack’s work has had a profound impact on the field of bioinformatics, particularly through the development of widely used software tools like edgeR, which is a cornerstone for RNA sequencing analysis globally. Her methodologies have enabled researchers to extract meaningful biological insights from complex datasets, advancing studies in cancer, developmental biology, and other areas of medical research. Her contributions have been instrumental in shaping how genomic data is analyzed and interpreted in both academic and clinical settings.

Public Lectures, Committees, and Editorial Contributions

• Regular speaker at international bioinformatics and genomics conferences, sharing insights on computational approaches to genomic data
• Member of various scientific advisory committees, contributing to the strategic direction of bioinformatics research in Australia
• Serves on editorial boards of prominent journals in genomics and bioinformatics, ensuring rigorous peer review and advancement of the field