Elizabeth (liz) Harry PhD

Liz is a Professor of Biology at the ithree institute (infection, immunology and innovation) at UTS. Her research focuses on how bacterial cells multiply and how they regulate this process. That work has opened pathways to the development of new antibiotics, and advances in addressing the global antibiotic resistance crisis.

As a National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University, Liz pioneered the development of fluorescence microscopy techniques for bacteria, which enabled the visualization of proteins inside bacterial cells. That work revolutionized our view of the internal organization of bacterial cells. Her cutting-edge cell biology techniques, including super-resolution microscopy, have provided unique insights into the mechanism and spatiotemporal control of the division process in bacteria.

Liz has worked with the industry in antibacterial discovery research for the development of novel antibiotics that target pathogens and examined how natural products – such as honey – function as effective therapeutics for infectious disease. Her outstanding research has been recognized with the awarding of the Eureka Prize for Scientific Research in 2002, and the Frank Fenner Award in 2008 from the Australian Society for Microbiology in recognition of her distinguished contributions to Australian research in microbiology.

During her time as Director of the ithree institute (2015-2019), she built a team of bacterial biologists that includes several eminent Australian and international researchers. She has had several plenary invitations to international conferences and served as the executive of the Australian Society for Microbiology for several years. Liz has held an Australian Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship, and an ARC QEII Fellowship in the School of Molecular Biosciences at the University of Sydney.