Dr David Alquezar
Dr David Alquezar is molecular biologist with a strong research background in virology assay development, emerging virus discovery and museum genomics. He has broad interests in human & animal welfare through molecular genetic approaches that span across wildlife conservation, infectious diseases and forensic biology. In his previous roles he has focused on the development and application of novel molecular diagnostics for the characterization of divergent and emerging viruses. His subsequent research has investigated the endogenization, evolution and causal status of the koala retrovirus (KoRV), a suspected oncogenic virus that infects the iconic native Australian species. He has additionally contributed to the field of ancient DNA genomics by participating in various studies centered on the recovery and analysis of nucleic acids from historical animal and plant specimens.
In his current role at the Australian Museum, he manages the Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics (ACWG), which is responsible for oversight of key scientific and research infrastructure, comprising of the Australian Museum’s Frozen Tissue Collection and four NATA accredited (ISO/IEC 17025) molecular laboratories that provide a platform for scientific research at the Australian Museum via DNA technologies. In this capacity he assists with the implementation of genomic applications to expand on the Australian Museum’s focus as an integral leader in biodiveristy and conservation research. He also manages a team of collection and technical staff that perform research and applied casework projects that inform government and industry partners through specialist molecular diagnostic capabilities. These methodologies aim to resolve species identification, taxonomy and conservation related questions of wildlife via detection and reporting on their distributions.
Qualifications
BSc. Biotechnology (2007), University of Technology Sydney.
PhD (2012) University of Copenhagen / Statens Serum Institut, Denmark.
Appointments
Honorary Associate - University of Sydney
