Professor Ute Roessner (born 1971) is a biochemist who specialises in plant metabolomics. Until 2022, she has been professor and head of the School of Biosciences at the University of Melbourne. In 2022, she joined The Australian National University in Canberra, Australia.

Early life and career

Roessner received a Diploma in Biochemistry, from the University of Potsdam and the

John Innes Institute The John Innes Centre (JIC), located in Norwich, Norfolk, England, is an independent centre for research and training in plant and microbial science founded in 1910. It is a registered charity (No 223852) grant-aided by the Biotechnology and B ...

in Norwich, in the UK. She then was awarded a PhD in Plant Biochemistry, from the Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology in Germany. Her career involves conducting work in metabolomics, biochemistry and lipidomics, as well as mass spectrometry. Roessner played a role in establishing a metabolomics platform research in 2003, within the

Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics The Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics (ACPFG) is a research organisation focusing on improving the resistance of wheat and barley to hostile environmental conditions, using functional genomics technologies. Scientists at the ACPFG ...

, and also in 2007, in Metabolomics Australia. Roessner's research has received media attention, from her early life in East Berlin, regarding the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...

coming down, as well as a Nature paper on the genome of ''Chenopodium quinoa'' and research on insecticides, showing low doses of insecticides can reduce insect survival rates. Roessner was also involved in research on how invasive fungal diseases, which can be life-threatening, can be able to adapt and then survive within human populations. Roessner's research has involved using

mass spectrometry Mass spectrometry (MS) is an analytical technique that is used to measure the mass-to-charge ratio of ions. The results are presented as a ''mass spectrum'', a plot of intensity as a function of the mass-to-charge ratio. Mass spectrometry is use ...

to understand spatial metabolite and the analysis of lipids, to further understanding of the metabolism of roots under saline stress. Roessner has been awarded funding for mass spectrometry research on lipids, metabolites and proteins in plants. She has been head of school, Biosciences at the University of Melbourne, between 2018 and 2022. In 2021 Roessner was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia the

Queen's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are present ...

for "significant service to tertiary education, particularly to the biosciences". She was inducted onto the Victorian Honour Roll of Women as a Trailblazer in 2021 and elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 2022.

Prizes and awards

References

External links

Roessner lab
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Roessner, Ute 1971 births Living people Australian women scientists Australian women academics Members of the Order of Australia Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science