Rate My Professor Jack Heinemann

Jack Heinemann is a Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Canterbury. He earned a BSc with honours in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1985 and a PhD in molecular biology from the University of Oregon in 1989, with a thesis on interspecies conjugation between bacteria and yeast. Prior to joining the University of Canterbury in 2001, he worked at the US National Institutes of Health. He serves as Director of the Centre for Integrated Research in Biosafety. His research focuses on the genetics and molecular biology of bacteria, phage, and single-celled eukaryotic microorganisms, with particular emphasis on horizontal gene transfer, antimicrobial resistance, and biosafety science.

Heinemann has received the New Zealand Association of Scientists Research Medal in 2002 and an Award of Excellence from the Tertiary Education Union in 2004. Key publications include a 1989 paper in Nature on bacterial conjugative plasmids mobilizing DNA transfer between bacteria and yeast, a 1991 review in Trends in Genetics on the genetics of gene transfer between species, and a 2000 paper in Drug Discovery Today on whether antibiotics maintain antibiotic resistance. He has contributed to international assessments including as a lead author for the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development and as a contributing author to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report. His work addresses gene technology, biosafety, and antibiotic resistance through publications, public engagement, and academic service.