Jack Alfred Heinemann | |
---|---|
Born | 1962 |
Alma mater | University of Oregon |
Scientific career | |
Thesis | Interspecies conjugation between bacteria and yeast (1989) |
Jack Alfred Heinemann is an American-New Zealand academic.
After an undergrad at University of Wisconsin-Madison Heinemann studied for a PhD from the University of Oregon. [1] He currently works at the University of Canterbury [2] where he is director of the Centre for Integrated Research in Biosafety. [3]
Heinemann is a vocal critic of the way genetic engineered risks are assessed [4] [5] [6] and the benefits are estimated. [7]
In 2002 he received the New Zealand Association of Scientists Research Medal. [2]
In 2004 Heinemann was awarded an Award of Excellence from the Tertiary Education Union [8] and served as Branch President. [9]
Bacterial conjugation is the transfer of genetic material between bacterial cells by direct cell-to-cell contact or by a bridge-like connection between two cells. This takes place through a pilus. It is a parasexual mode of reproduction in bacteria.
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including the transfer of genes within and across species boundaries to produce improved or novel organisms.
A plasmid is a small, extrachromosomal DNA molecule within a cell that is physically separated from chromosomal DNA and can replicate independently. They are most commonly found as small circular, double-stranded DNA molecules in bacteria; however, plasmids are sometimes present in archaea and eukaryotic organisms. Plasmids often carry useful genes, such as antibiotic resistance and virulence. While chromosomes are large and contain all the essential genetic information for living under normal conditions, plasmids are usually very small and contain additional genes for special circumstances.
The University of Canterbury is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was founded in 1873 as Canterbury College, the first constituent college of the University of New Zealand. It is New Zealand's second-oldest university, after the University of Otago, which was founded four years earlier, in 1869.
Victoria University of Wellington is a public research university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand.
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Sir Albert William Liley was a New Zealand medical practitioner, renowned for developing techniques to improve the health of foetuses in utero.
Esther Miriam Zimmer Lederberg was an American microbiologist and a pioneer of bacterial genetics. She discovered the bacterial virus lambda phage and the bacterial fertility factor F, devised the first implementation of replica plating, and furthered the understanding of the transfer of genes between bacteria by specialized transduction.
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Joanna Jean Putterill is a New Zealand molecular botanist. She is currently a full professor at the University of Auckland.
Heather Hendrickson is a microbiologist and an Associate Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. She previously worked at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand. Her research is focussed on the evolution of bacterial cell shape, and the discovery of bacteriophages that can attack antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the bee disease American foulbrood.
The Dodd-Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies is a New Zealand Centre of Research Excellence, established in 2015, hosted by the University of Otago, and composed of researchers in six New Zealand universities as well as partner institutions in the US, United Kingdom, and Singapore. It does fundamental research on the quantum nature of matter, the physics and optics of light, and the manipulation of individual photons. New knowledge and applications are commercialised for industries including agritech, medicine, and civil engineering.
Rosemary Ann Du Plessis is a New Zealand academic sociologist, and is an adjunct associate professor at the University of Canterbury. In 2020 she was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to women and education.