Joel Mackay

Professor Joel Mackay is a Professor in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences within the Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney. He completed his BSc and MSc in organic chemistry at the University of Auckland before obtaining his PhD from the University of Cambridge in 1993. In 1995, he commenced a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Sydney under Glenn King, supported by an ARC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. He has remained at the University of Sydney throughout his career, advancing to the rank of Professor and establishing the Mackay and Matthews Lab, which investigates gene regulation at the molecular level.

A physical biochemist, Professor Mackay specializes in protein structure, function, and engineering, with a primary focus on the molecular mechanisms of gene regulation. His research employs structural biology approaches, including NMR spectroscopy, to study processes such as chromatin remodeling by CHD4, nucleosome composition and dynamics, bromodomain-nucleosome interactions, zinc finger proteins, and the discovery of high-affinity peptide ligands via mRNA display for potential therapeutic applications in cancer and other diseases. He has authored over 300 peer-reviewed publications, accumulating approximately 14,000 citations, with 195 papers noted in his profile, 87% of which appear in the top 10% of journals. Notable works include 'mRNA display reveals a class of high-affinity bromodomain-binding motifs that are not found in the human proteome' (2023), 'The BRD4-nucleosome interaction is enhanced modestly and non-selectively by histone acetylation' (2025), 'The structure and composition of native human nucleosomes' (2025), and 'Macrocyclic peptides as a new class of targeted protein degraders' (2025). Professor Mackay has received extensive funding, including ARC Discovery Projects such as $913,638 in 2025 for investigating how cells turn genes on and off, $780,618 in 2023 for chromatin remodeler CHD4 studies, $435,000 in 2022 for histone variant effects on gene expression, and $829,000 in 2021 for mRNA display in cancer treatment; additionally, a $1.1 million NHMRC grant in 2023. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Biological Chemistry and contributes to teaching and student supervision.

Professional Email: joel.mackay@sydney.edu.au