Prof Lindsay Sly

School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences
University of Queensland
St Lucia Qld 4072
Australia
 
Tel: (61 7) 3365 2396
Fax: (61 7) 3365 1566
Email: l.sly@uq.edu.auÂ
Website: http://profiles.bacs.uq.edu.au/Lindsay.Sly.htmlÂ

Fields of Interest

Agricultural, Environmental, Industrial, Water Quality, Water Treatment, Waste Treatment, Biomediation, Education, Biosecurity, Biotechnology, Diagnostics, Molecular Biology, Microbial Diversity, Phylogeny, Evolution, Systematics, Classification, Nomenclature

Microorganisms and Cell Cultures

Bacteria, archaea 

Taxa

Acidovorax, Pedomicrobium, Leptothrix, Caulobacter, Blastomonas, Blastobacter, Delftia, Morococcus, Herpetosiphon, Telluria, Gluconacetobacter, Chitinophaga, Lewinella, hyperthermophiles

Environments

Terrestrial, Freshwater, Marine, Plant

Specific environments

Rhizosphere, water distribution systems, bioreactors, bioleaching, biofilms, acid mine drainage

Methods

16S rRNA phylogeny, repPCR, BioLog identification

Services

Culture isolation, culture identification, molecular typing, phylogenetic analysis, DNA sequencing, clone library analysis, culture collection, culture screening, inocula, microbial culture, freeze drying

Research 

In my research laboratory we explore microbial biodiversity - the last frontier of unexplored biodiversity. We are interested in understanding the evolution and genetic diversity of bacteria, their ecology in natural and industrial environments, and their potential for exploitation in biotechnologies. The research is concerned with:

 • Microbial Diversity and Conservation
 • Australian Microbial Resources
 • Evolutionary and Molecular Ecology
 • Microbial Taxonomy, Phylogeny, and Molecular Diagnostics
 • Plant Pathology and Protection
 • Environmental Biotechnology
 • Industrial Biotechnology

We are interested in studying novel bacteria, their interactions, their physiological diversity and the genetic basis of regulation in natural microbial communities. Current research projects involve the microbial ecology of environments such as soil, water, water distribution system biofilms, plant surfaces and rhizospheres, constructed wetlands, mineral ore leaching communities, and the development of fluidised biofilm reactors for water treatment, metal recovery, and biofilters for the bioremediation of methane and other pollutants in air. We are developing molecular fingerprinting methods for monitoring microbial species in mixed microbial communities for the assessment of water quality, river health, soil health, bioremediation and biomining. We are studying the enzymology and molecular biology of bacterial manganese oxidation and have developed the BMnR biotechnology process using immobilised manganese-oxidising bacteria for the treatment of manganese, heavy metals and radionuclides in water and wastewater

Teaching and other interests

 • Microbial biodiversity and ecology, Environmental microbiology
 • Microbial biofilms
 • Biotechnology
 • Australian Collection of Microorganisms
 • Centre for Bacterial Diversity and IdentificationÂ