Science, Technology and Engineering

Maier Laboratory

Department of Biochemistry

Biosketch - Dr Alex Maier

Dr Alex Maier's passion for Molecular Parasitology was ignited during his studies at the University of Tuebingen (Germany) and Southern Colorado (USA). During his doctoratehe investigated protein trafficking and membrane proteins of an energy generating organell in Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of the African sleeping sickness. This work was conducted under the supervision of Professor Christine Clayton at the ZMBH (Centre of Molecular Biology) in Heidelberg, Germany.

In 2000, Dr Maier was awarded a Post-doctoral fellowship from the German research council (Deutsche Forschungssgemeinschaft) to join the malaria group of Professor Alan Cowman at the Walter and Eliza Institute of Medical Research (WEHI), Melbourne.

In 2002, he took on the task to establish and head the WEHI Malaria Functional Genomics Facility. His research focus at WEHI dealt with the mechanism of how malaria parasites invade red blood cells and the transport and display of malaria molecules on the surface of infected red blood cells.

Dr Maier joined the Department of Biochemistry, La Trobe University, in 2008, where he is currently an ARC Australian Research Fellow.