Committee bio
Dr Heather Lee
Senior Lecturer,
School of Biomedical Sciences & Pharmacy,
College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing,
The University of Newcastle
NSW
Dr Heather Lee is a biomedical scientist with experience in developmental biology, cancer biology and epigenetics.
After obtaining her PhD from the University of New South Wales, Heather undertook post-doctoral studies with Prof Wolf Reik at the Babraham Institute, Cambridge UK. While exploring epigenetic heterogeneity in embryonic stem cells, Heather developed the first sequencing technology for genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation in single cells (Nat Meth 11:817) and related multi-omic technologies (Nat Meth 13:229, Nat Commun 9:781).
In 2017, Heather established an independent research team at the University of Newcastle, Australia, where she is applying her unique epigenetics expertise to explore epigenetic heterogeneity in acute myeloid leukaemia. The potential of Heather’s research program has been recognised through a Cancer Institute NSW research fellowship and the 2018 Metcalf Prize for Stem Cell Research.
Early in 2008, Sue Clark brought a handful of epigenetics researchers from Australia together to form the Australian Epigenetics Alliance. The AEpiA has now grown to a membership of over 600, with members spanning not only Australasia, but the globe. In February 2021, our Victorian local organising committee hosted our eighth flagship Epigenetics conference, online for the first time. Our NSW team is now busy preparing for Epigenetics 2022, which will be held in September in Kingscliff, NSW.