Rate My Professor Robert Porteous

Robert Porteous serves as the Manager of the Histology unit within Otago Micro and Nanoscale Imaging (OMNI) at the University of Otago, acting as the primary point of contact for new histology work. He provides expert guidance on sample preparation, fixation techniques, and histological and immunohistochemical analyses. Porteous earned his BSc in Zoology from the University of Otago in 1991 and has built a career in research support, including roles at AgResearch and various positions at the University of Otago. The Histology unit, situated in the Department of Pathology, Dunedin School of Medicine, offers comprehensive services such as tissue processing, decalcification, frozen sectioning, routine and specialist staining, immunohistochemistry, RNAScope, Opal multiplex fluorescent immunohistochemistry, slide scanning, and training on equipment including cryostats, microtomes, and automatic immunostainers. These facilities support diagnostic and research applications across university departments.

In parallel with his technical leadership, Porteous actively contributes to neuroendocrinology research, affiliated with the Centre for Neuroendocrinology and Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences. His 35 research works, accumulating 2651 citations, focus on gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neuron regulation, estrogen receptor signaling, and reproductive neuroendocrinology. Notable publications include 'CRISPR-Cas9 knockdown of ESR1 in preoptic GABA-kisspeptin neurons suppresses the preovulatory LH surge' (eLife, 2023), 'Definition of the estrogen negative feedback pathway controlling the GnRH surge: A Truss Bridge?' (Nature Communications, 2022), 'Robust GABAergic Regulation of the GnRH Neuron Distal Dendron' (Endocrinology, 2022), 'Reformulation of PULSAR for Analysis of Pulsatile LH Secretion and Application to Sex Differences' (Endocrinology, 2021), 'Dynamics of GnRH Neuron Ionotropic GABA and Glutamate Receptor Signaling Across the Estrous Cycle' (eNeuro, 2017), and 'Frequency-Dependent Recruitment of Fast Amino Acid and Slow Neuropeptide P/Q-type Ca2+-Channel-Dependent GABA Transmission in GnRH Neurons' (Journal of Neuroscience, 2011). His contributions enhance understanding of neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying fertility and hormone regulation.