Rate My Professor Louise Bicknell

Bicknell's research specializes in the genetics of rare disorders. Her work encompasses Meier-Gorlin syndrome, focusing on DNA replication, gene identification, and potential cancer predisposition; syndromic microcephaly, investigating mutations in established and novel genes through cellular and animal models; and developmental disorders in children, often involving intellectual disability and short stature, diagnosed via exome sequencing. She teaches courses such as GENE411, GENE360, BIOC360, and BIOC463. Key publications include 'The genetic basis of human height' (Bicknell, Hirschhorn, & Savarirayan, 2025, Nature Reviews Genetics), 'Recurrent de novo variants in the spliceosomal factor CRNKL1 are associated with severe microcephaly and pontocerebellar hypoplasia with seizures' (Ray Das et al., 2025, American Journal of Human Genetics), 'Unilateral loss of recql4 function in Xenopus laevis tadpoles leads to ipsilateral ablation of the forelimb, hypoplastic Meckel's cartilage and vascular defects' (Beck, Reily-Bell, & Bicknell, 2025, Genes Genomes Genetics), and earlier contributions in Nature Genetics (Bicknell et al., 2011). Bicknell delivered her Inaugural Professorial Lecture titled 'Genetic answers for New Zealand'.