Luke specialises in synthetic biology for protein discovery and engineering, with a focus on advancement of sustainable technologies
Luke's PhD research is aimed at tackling the global issue of critical element security through development of sustainable technologies for the extraction and separation of these elements from mining waste systems. Various critical metals, such as gallium, vanadium, and rare-earth elements, are rapidly increasing in demand due to the advancement of new technologies requiring these unique properties. These elements are typically only produced as by-products of alumina or zinc refinery, and supply of these elements in Australia is mostly derived from international trade. Australia has significant untapped deposits of these elements in mining waste sites, such as bauxite residue. Luke's research aims at using synthetic biology to identify protein based approaches to extract and make use of this critical element supply. Luke has also been involved in research on development of protein-based metal biosensors, bioremediation in cyanobacteria/microalgae, metal purification using DNA aptamers, and bioleaching of critical minerals. Luke obtained a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering and Bachelor of Biotechnology in 2020 at the University of Queensland, before starting his undergraduate honours thesis focusing on the development of a CRISPR/Cas9 system in Nannochloropsis oceanica, aiming to increase fatty acid content, leading to higher biofuels production efficiency. After completion, Luke continued research at UQ focusing on using synthetic biology to enhance bioremediation in various microalgae species. In 2023, Luke started his PhD in the AIBN, aimed at protein discovery for binding of critical metals in mine waste systems.
Industry
Rio Tinto - Using synthetic biology to accelerate critical metal recovery from mine waste (2023-2026)
Collaborations
QUT, CSIRO - Enhancing Rare Earth Elements Quantification Using Protein-Based Biosensors QUT, CSIRO - Synthetic biology to investigate novel DNA aptamers that bind critical minerals
Funding
Using synthetic biology to accelerate critical metal recovery from mine waste (2023-2026): Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowship awarded to Dr Denys Villa-Gomez Synthetic biology to investigate novel DNA aptamers that bind critical minerals (2025-2026): CoESB Seed Grant awarded to Dr Rosemary Gillane Enhancing Rare Earth Elements Quantification Using Protein-Based Biosensors (2023-2024): CoESB Seed Grant awarded to Dr Zhengling Cui
Key Publications
A synthetic biology approach for the treatment of pollutants with microalgae
Protein Identification and Binding Capacity of Pseudomonas putida to Critical Metals