Ronald Skurray

Professor Emeritus Ronald A. Skurray is affiliated with the School of Life and Environmental Sciences in the Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney. His extensive research career at the University of Sydney, including prior association with the School of Biological Sciences, has centered on bacterial genetics and molecular biology, with particular emphasis on plasmid partitioning mechanisms and multidrug resistance in Staphylococcus aureus. Skurray has investigated novel plasmid partitioning systems such as the pSK1 par encoded by staphylococcal multiresistance plasmids, dynamic filament formation by actin-like ParM proteins, and the roles of plasmids, transposable elements, and integrative elements in horizontal gene transfer, antimicrobial resistance dissemination, and bacterial genome plasticity.

Key contributions include detailed analyses of staphylococcal plasmids and transposable elements, as well as studies on multidrug efflux pumps such as QacA, QacB, and NorM, and their transcriptional regulation. Prominent publications encompass "Proton-dependent multidrug efflux systems" co-authored with Ian T. Paulsen and Melissa H. Brown, "Regulation of Bacterial Drug Export Systems" with Steve Grkovic and Melissa H. Brown, "The multidrug efflux protein NorM is a prototype of a new family of transporters" with Melissa H. Brown and Ian T. Paulsen, "Structural Mechanisms of QacR Induction and Multidrug Recognition" with Maria A. Schumacher and others, and "Staphylococcal Plasmids, Transposable and Integrative Elements" published in 2018 in Microbiology Spectrum. With over 160 publications and more than 17,000 citations, Skurray's work has significantly impacted understandings of antiseptic and antibiotic resistance mechanisms in Gram-positive bacteria, establishing him as a leading figure in genetics and infectious diseases research.

Professional Email: ronald.skurray@sydney.edu.au