Professor Paul Atkinson
Chemical Genetics
School of Biological Sciences
Research interests
- Cell Biology
- Molecular genetics
- Genetic interaction network analysis
The need for new and better drugs, with knowledge of their mechanisms, in cancer diseases. Effective drugs often provide leads for even better ones and detailed knowledge of their cell biological mechanism allows analysis of side-effects in the design of better drugs. We are lucky at Victoria University of Wellington in having collaborative access to one of the world’s premier synthetic organic teams namely the Ferrier Institute as a source of novel drugs, expertise and like-minded thinking.
Current research projects
Mechanism of human therapeutic drugs, currently statins, by genetic interaction network analysis.
Personal bio
Qualifications:
- B.Sc. Hons (1st Class), Plant Physiology, 1966, University of Canterbury.
- PhD, Cell Biology, 1969, University of Auckland.
Additional information:
- I was a Full Professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx NY from 1983–1991 when I joined AgResearch NZ as Head of Wallaceville Animal Research Centre.
- I was elected Fellow, NZ Institute of Agricultural Science in 1999.
- I joined Victoria University of Wellington, SBS from AgResearch as a Professorial Fellow with the rank of Professor, in 2004.
- I am currently an unpaid Honorary Research Associate in the Wellington Faculty of Graduate Research at Victoria University of Wellington.
- I co-supervise one PhD student currently (2019), I interact daily with 2–3 others at a paper-authorship level. Since my first employment at Victoria University of Wellington, I have been primary supervisor for 5 PhD graduates and co-supervisor for 2 more. I have been primary supervisor for about the same number of Masters and BSc (Hons) students.