Rate My Professor Ross Waller

Ross Waller is the Professor of Evolutionary Cell Biology in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge, part of the School of Biological Sciences. He obtained his PhD in Cell Biology and Parasitology from the University of Melbourne, completing his studies from January 1996 to February 2000. Prior to his current role, Waller held a postdoctoral position in the Department of Botany at the University of British Columbia from September 2003 to March 2005. He subsequently served as a Faculty Member in the School of BioSciences at the University of Melbourne from April 2005 to December 2014, transitioning to his position at Cambridge in October 2013. His research investigates the subcellular organisations, molecular complexities, endosymbiotic partnerships, and genomes of diverse protists, with a particular emphasis on the Infrakingdom Alveolata. This includes apicomplexan parasites such as Plasmodium and Toxoplasma, dinoflagellates ranging from photosynthetic algae and coral symbionts to micro-predators and parasites, and ciliates as micro-predators and nutrient recyclers.

Waller's work delves into adaptations enabling apicomplexan parasites to exploit hosts, the molecular processes underlying endosymbiont establishment, chromatin management in the absence of histones in dinoflagellates and associated genome responses, and novel cell biological innovations in dinoflagellates that contribute to their symbiotic success. Notable publications include "Nuclear-encoded proteins target to the plastid in Toxoplasma gondii and Plasmodium falciparum" (1998, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences), "Plastid evolution" (2008, Annual Review of Plant Biology), "Metabolic maps and functions of the Plasmodium falciparum apicoplast" (2004, Nature Reviews Microbiology), "A comprehensive subcellular atlas of the Toxoplasma proteome via hyperLOPIT provides spatial context for protein functions" (2020, Cell Host & Microbe), and "Endosymbiosis undone by stepwise elimination of the plastid in a parasitic dinoflagellate" (2015, PNAS). With thousands of citations across his over 300 publications, his research has profoundly impacted the fields of cell biology, evolution, organelles, symbiosis, and parasitology. He serves on the editorial board of The Cell Surface journal.