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About John
Dr. John Schjenken is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Science within the College of Engineering, Science and Environment at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He currently serves as Director of the Hunter Medical Research Institute Reproductive and Family Health Research Program and leads the Seminal Plasma and Extracellular Vesicle Group. Schjenken completed his Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Newcastle in 2011, with research on the function of the endogenous retroviral envelope protein syncytin-1 in the human placenta. His postdoctoral career began at the University of Adelaide's Robinson Research Institute and Adelaide Medical School as a Research Associate from 2010 to 2019, followed by a Visiting Fellowship position from 2019 to the present. At the University of Newcastle, he contributes to teaching as Course Coordinator for courses including BTEC3200 Cellular Biotechnology, BTEC3251 Biotechnology Placement, SCIE3002 WIL for the Sciences, and BTEC1000 Introduction to Biotechnology, and serves on the Honours Program Committee.
Schjenken's research employs multi-omic approaches—transcriptomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics—to investigate the male contribution to conception, emphasizing seminal plasma composition, signalling molecules, and their roles in female reproductive tract immunity, infertility, and pregnancy disorders. His fields of research include Reproduction (70%) and Biochemistry and cell biology. He is internationally recognized as a leader in reproductive biology, ranked 9th worldwide among semen experts by Expertscape, and named a Rising Star in Reproductive Biology by the Society for the Study of Reproduction in 2021. Other awards include the Society for Reproductive Biology Emerging Research Leader Award Finalist (2019), multiple Best Early Career Researcher presentations (2013-2017), and International Best Abstract Award (2014). As Chief Investigator, he secured a $900,000 NHMRC Ideas Grant. Key publications are 'The female response to seminal fluid' (Physiological Reviews, 2020, first author, invited review), 'Sperm modulate uterine immune parameters relevant to embryo implantation and reproductive success in mice' (Communications Biology, 2021, first author), 'Proteomic Dissection of the Impact of Environmental Exposures on Mouse Seminal Vesicle Function' (Molecular & Cellular Proteomics, 2021, senior author), and 'Subchronic elevation in ambient temperature drives alterations to the sperm epigenome and accelerates early embryonic development in mice' (PNAS, 2024, co-first author). Five of his articles rank in the top 5% of research outputs by Altmetric score.
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