Dr. Collado-Vides is an international leader in the bioinformatics of gene regulation in bacteria. He did the mathematical proof deriving the grammatical modeling of gene regulation, supporting novel algorithms of regulation in bacterial genomes. His laboratory supports RegulonDB and regulation in EcoCyc, two highly recognized databases. He has implemented novel algorithms for the prediction of promoters, operons, and functionally associated genes. He contributed to the the E.coli genome published in Science, and to the understanding of topological and dynamical properties of the regulatory network.

His research, supported by US NIH funding for the last 8 years, has generated around 85 peer-reviewed papers in international journals and 13 chapters in books with more than 5200 citations, in addition to two edited books published by MIT Press. Among several awards, he has been recognized with the National University Prize and the Robert Kennedy Professorship of the Americas from Harvard University (2007).

Current Director of the Center for Genomic Sciences, he was President Founder of the Mexican Society of Genomics, co-founder of the Undergraduate Program in Genomics at UNAM, and Principal Investigator of the grant that generated the first closed genome sequence of an organism generated in Mexico, Rhizobium etli. He has contributed significantly to the emergence of genomics and bioinformatics in his country.

Sean Grimmond

"Sequencing the transcriptome in toto"

Dr Sean Grimmond pioneered microarray technology at the Medical Research Council Genetics Unit (Harwell, UK) before returning to Australia in 2000 under the CJ Martin Career Development Award. He joined the Institute for Molecular Bioscience in 2004 as head of IMB’s microarray facility,. Sean was named Eppendorf Young Australian Scientist 2004, and in 2007 took up an NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship. He is a member of the Editorial Review Board of Differentiation, is active in the FANTOM and US National Institutes of Health Stem Cell Anatomy networks, and is President of the Australasian Microarray and Associated Technologies Association (AMATA). During 2006 Sean was scientific lead on a new strategic partnership with Applied Biosystems Inc. that has introduced the ABI next-generation SOLiD sequencing platform to Australia.

Dr. Li's research interests include bioinformatics, systems biology and computational biology. Currently, he is focusing on proteomics informatics research. Dr. Li has published more than 80 journal papers. His research results have been cited by more than 1000 researchers worldwide.

"A new understanding of the human genome"

Professor Mattick was responsible for the development of the IMB with Professor Peter Andrews. In 1988 he was appointed the Foundation Professor of Molecular Biology and Director of the Centre for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Queensland.

The Centre was subsequently designated a Special Research Centre of the Australian Research Council (1991-1999) and was re-named the CMCB, with its primary focus being the molecular genetics of mammals and their diseases, including genome mapping, gene regulation, developmental biology and cell biology.

He was responsible for the development of one of the first recombinant DNA-based vaccines, and was the recipient of the 1989 Pharmacia-LKB Biotechnology Medal from the Australian Biochemical Society, and the inaugural (2000) Eppendorf Achievement Award from the Lorne Genome Conference. His current research interest is in the role of non-coding RNAs in the evolution and development of complex organisms. He has published over 100 scientific papers.

Professor Mattick is also, among other things, a member of the Australian Health Ethics Committee and the Research Committee of the NHMRC. He is a foundation member of the recently established International Molecular Biology Network (Asia-Pacific), was a foundation member of the Board of ANGIS (the Australian National Genome Information Service) from 1991-2000 and is currently a member of the Board of the Australian Proteome Analysis Facility. He is a member of the Queensland Biotechnology Advisory Council and on the Scientific Advisory Boards of several institutes nationally and internationally. He was appointed as an Officer in the Order of Australia in June 2001.

Cliona Molony

"Reconstructing the circuits of disease: from molecular states to physiological states"

Bio to come

Ashok Kolaskar

"India's Bioinformatics Development through Distributed Information Network"

Ph.D., D.Sc.(hc),F.N.A.,FNA.Sc.
Advisor, National Knowledge Commission, New Delhi
Managing Director, DSK Global Education & Research Pvt.Ltd.
Former Vice-Chancellor, University of Pune and Professor, Biotechnology & Bioinformatics, University of Pune

A career of over 31 years marked by numerous accomplishments in bioinformatics research, teaching, mentoring, higher education reforms, and managing large institutions with outstanding success.

As advisor to National Knowledge Commission, identified several areas in need of the Commission’s scrutiny and worked in formulating recommendations and reports to the Hon’ble Prime Minister. Some of the significant contributions are the in depth study and reports on the Open Access and Open Educational Resources around the world, Research and Education Networks, University Education, Distance Education etc. Designed and directed primary research across India to understand the facilitators and obstacles of innovation in the country and authored a comprehensive report on the same. Directing a similar project at the present time on entrepreneurship in the country.