Mathew Jones

Dr. Mathew Jones is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Faculty of Science, at the University of Queensland. He obtained his Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Queensland. In addition, he leads the Molecular Genetics Group at the Frazer Institute, part of the University of Queensland Diamantina Institute in the Faculty of Medicine. Throughout his career at UQ, Jones has focused on cancer genetics and cell biology, applying molecular, cell biology, and genomics methods to study misregulated cellular processes in tumors.

Jones's research specializations encompass DNA replication stress, DNA repair, mitophagy, kinase regulation in cancer, and replication fork dynamics. His group aims to develop novel therapies that target tumor cells' genetic and metabolic vulnerabilities, translating findings into selective chemotherapies that harness the immune system for improved patient outcomes. Notable projects involve chemical genetics to probe DDK (Cdc7) roles in stalled replication fork repair and long-read sequencing to dissect telomere repair and DNA replication spatiotemporal control. Key publications include 'A high-resolution, nanopore-based artificial intelligence assay for DNA replication stress in human cancer cells' (Nature Communications, 2025), 'FTO suppresses DNA repair by inhibiting PARP1' (Nature Communications, 2025), 'DNA replication dynamics are associated with genome composition in Plasmodium species' (Nucleic Acids Research, 2025), 'Human DDK rescues stalled forks and counteracts checkpoint inhibition at unfired origins to complete DNA replication' (Molecular Cell, 2021), 'Cohesin recruits the Esco1 acetyltransferase genome wide to repress transcription and promote cohesion in somatic cells' (PNAS, 2015), 'ATR-mediated phosphorylation of FANCI regulates dormant origin firing in response to replication stress' (Molecular Cell, 2015), and 'Degradation of Cep68 and PCNT cleavage mediate Cep215 removal from the PCM to allow centriole separation, disengagement and licensing' (Nature Cell Biology, 2015). He has supervised numerous PhD candidates on topics including kinase dysregulation in cancer, mitophagy regulation, and mitotic cell death. Jones has received grants such as ARC Discovery Projects (2021-2023), Mito Foundation Incubator Grants (2026), and Schrödinger Inc. funding (2023-2026).