Principal Investigators
Monica Gerth (Molecular Microbiology)
Though officially a microbiologist nowadays, Monica started her academic life studying chemistry at The Evergreen State College in Washington State (USA). She got a bit more biologically-focused during her PhD (on protein engineering) at Emory University. And then more ‘biological’ again during her postdoc with Prof Paul Rainey (then at Massey University) on microbial evolution and genetics. She moved to the University of Otago in 2012 to start her own group — studying how microbes perceive and respond to chemical signals (something that brought together all of her research interests!). In 2018, Monica was lured to Victoria University of Wellington, where she is an Associate Professor of Molecular Microbiology. After a lifetime of moving (she grew up in an army family) she has completely fallen in love with Wellington, and claims she will never move again.
Monica’s group still studies microbial chemotaxis, but is also more broadly exploring the molecular basis of how microbes cause (or prevent) plant diseases. She is also particularly passionate about protecting kauri trees from dieback (caused by the eukaryotic microbe Phytophthora) and believes that collaboration is key to tackling these sorts of problems. Her Google Scholar profile can be found HERE.
Wayne Patrick (Biochemistry)
Wayne’s BSc (Hons) degree is from the University of Otago and his PhD is from the University of Cambridge. He spent 4 years as a post-doc at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, which was enough time to become a (long-suffering) fan of the Falcons. He moved home to New Zealand in 2007 and began his academic career as Lecturer and then Senior Lecturer at Massey University's once-great Albany campus. From 2012 to 2018 he held a Rutherford Discovery Fellowship at Otago. In 2018, Wayne returned to the city of his birth and is now Professor of Biochemistry and Associate Dean (Research) at Victoria University. The hills are steeper than his 3 year-old self remembers, but he enjoys trying to run up them nonetheless.
Wayne’s research mostly focuses on the evolution and engineering of enzymes. He is convinced that new tools from ‘omics and synthetic biology make this the best time in history to be an enzymologist. He also has a long-standing interest in the evolution of antimicrobial resistance, in pathogens of both humans and kauri. His Google Scholar profile can be found HERE.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Monica Summers
Supervisors: Monica & Wayne
Monica S. was born and raised in windy Wellington and she studied a BSc at Victoria University of Wellington. She majored in Cell and Molecular Bioscience with a minor in Chemistry. After enjoying her study, she decided to stay on and do an MSc and now a PhD in Cell and Molecular Bioscience.
Monica loves cats, has a small tea addiction and likes swimming, reading and hanging out with friends in her spare time.
Josie Mainwaring
Supervisor: Monica
Josie was once a budding architect with a concern for the changing environment. Her curiosity about the biological world eventually overwhelmed her and she decided to swap the built environment for the natural. She first joined the lab as a summer research scholar studying Phytophthora agathidicida oospores. She started an MSc in Molecular Microbiology on the same topic, before becoming completed hooked at upgrading to a PhD. She graduated in December, but we are lucky enough to keep her around for a while. Outside of the lab, you can find Josie outside running, inside reading or making and/or consuming food.
Elise Pierson
Supervisors: Monica & Wayne
Elise began her scientific journey at the University of Namur (Belgium), earning a BSc and a MSc in Chemistry, where she fell head over heels for enzymes – nature’s ingenious catalysts. After an internship at U. Ottawa (Canada), she returned to U. Namur for her PhD on the allosteric regulation of M. tuberculosis phosphoserine phosphatase - her first enzyme sweetheart. In the meantime, she also completed a University Diploma in Drug Design from U. Lille (France).
As if two continents weren’t enough, Elise then made the leap to NZ. She was warmly welcomed in the MME lab, where she contributes her enzymology and structural biology skills to help preserve kauri from P. agathidicida while expanding her knowledge in microbiology and other macromolecules. Outside the lab, you’ll likely find Elise hiking, fishing, cooking, watercolour painting, dancing the Lindy Hop, taiko drumming or trying not to nosedive her surfboard!
Jochem Vink
Supervisor: Monica
Jochem did a BSc in Chemistry and Biology at the University of Amsterdam, before doing a half year of MSc Molecular Life Sciences at Humboldt University in Berlin. He continued his MSc Molecular Life Sciences at Wageningen University with an internship at the University of Berkeley working on protein folding with optical tweezers. His PhD was at Wageningen and Delft University and tracked single CRISPR complexes inside bacterial cells as they were scanning the DNA looking for invaders.
After this scientific rollercoaster ride Jochem was looking for a new challenge. He found his dream project studying Phytophthora chemotaxis and potentially contributing to a solution for the disease that threatens one of his favourite trees. Jochem is also loving NZ for its amazing tramps, history, landscapes, birds, trees, ferns people, craft beers, vineyards, museums, mountain bike parks, and the growing bike infrastructure around Wellington.
PhD Students
Sarah Andreassend
Supervisor: Monica
Sarah is our chemistry whiz. She did an MSc in Chemistry with Rob Keyzers, and then spend a year as a Research Assistant with Monica and Wayne. She liked it so much, she stayed for a PhD!
Her PhD research is exploring the chemistry of kauri dieback (and in particular, the chemoattraction of zoospores to kauri roots).
Sarah is also a cake-maker extraordinaire!
Polina (Poly) Idelchik
Supervisor: Monica
Poly and her family moved to New Zealand in the middle of 2022 after working almost 10 years with crop breeding companies. She finished her master's in agriculture at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem exploring new pathogen in radishes.
Poly says she always wanted to do research that would benefit the environment rather than working for the industry — and that she loves her Ph.D. project, which combines basic microbiology, fieldwork, and bioinformatic analysis.
She also loves to swim, spend time at the beach or in the bush, cook, bake, and crochet.
Jade Palmer
Supervisor: Monica
Jade has recently completed her BSc (Hons) majoring in Molecular Microbiology. Her project was to develop molecular diagnostics for kauri dieback and her PhD is going to build on this work. Outside of Uni, Jade enjoys being outside, either in the garden or walking, and a good Wellington coffee!
Abby Martin
Supervisor: Wayne (& Lisa Connor)
Abby completed her BBmedSc in human genetics and molecular pathology and then undertook a summer research project with Wayne and Lisa Connor. This project investigated circular RNA vaccines to target influenza, combining both her passions, molecular biology and immunology. Abby liked her summer project so much that she came back for Honours in 2023 — and now a PhD!
Outside of the lab, Abby can be found on her partner’s farm assisting with lambing and calving season.
Isaac Green
Supervisor: Wayne (& Lisa Connor)
Isaac is a passionate researcher exploring the intersection of biochemistry and immunology. He began his academic journey with a Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Otago, followed by an Honours degree on the metabolism of trained innate immunity. He then completed his MSc on protein modelling, structure, and purification.
Isaac is now pursuing a PhD, where he aims to leverage his expertise in biochemistry and immunology, along with his interest in AI-driven protein modelling, to design the next generation of vaccine antigens.
Honours and Masters Students
Rachel Taila
Supervisor: Wayne
Rach is a Pasifika student with a double major in Cell & Molecular Bioscience and Biotechnology. Having been an undergraduate researcher and research assistant with Wayne, she has now moved on to an MSc in Biotechnology. She has many interests, but at the moment, she is particularly interested in using enzymes to help save our planet. Her MSc project focuses on using them to help save kauri from the pathogen, Phytophthora agathidicida.
Rach loves music and plays violin, flute and piano. She loves horror, thriller and mystery video games and movies. She loves singing but claims only to be great at it “sometimes”. She is extroverted and loves being around people – that’s what is cool about science, it’s actually very social, and you’re required to network a lot!
Rach hopes her passion for science will take her around the world one day and that she can be a lifelong learner.
Izzy Hadlow
Supervisor: Monica
Izzy was born and raised in Taranaki, and has just completed her BSc in Biology and is about to embark on her Honours degree. She has been part of team Phytophthora for years now (two summer scholarships plus lots of part-time research while studying) and while details remain to be sorted, her Honours project will likely involve something Phytophthora-related. Outside the lab, Izzy can often be spotted wandering around outdoors on the hunt for interesting critters and funky plants, or sustaining minor injuries attempting a new craft-based hobby.
Lucy Regtien Wraight
Supervisor: Monica
Lucy completed her BSc in Biology in 2023 at Victoria University of Wellington and joined the lab as a summer student the same year. Enthusiastic about forest health and microbe-microbe interactions, she enrolled in a Molecular Microbiology Honours degree studying studying microbial degradation of Phytophthora agathidicida oospore cell walls. She finished in 2024, but will be back in 2025 for an MSc thesis!
When she isn't plating microbes or counting colonies, Lucy plays the bass drum in a bagpipe band, and enjoys becoming one with the wind racing keelboats on the harbour.
Research Assistants
Alexandria Linton-de Boer
Supervisor: Wayne
Having worked in the MME Lab as an undergraduate, we are fortunate to keep Alex as an RA as she completes her MSc under the supervision of Prof David Ackerley. She keeps the lab running smoothly, with general maintenance and management. She also enjoys learning about all of the different research projects that the others are investigating.
In her free time Alex likes to do watercolour paintings, play horror video games, and explore Wellington with her friends.
Emily Hocking
Supervisor: Monica
Emily did her BSc degree at the University of Waikato majoring in molecular and cellular biology, with a minor in English. She knew she wanted to pursue postgraduate study, and wanted a change in scenery. She says she has always loved Wellington, and so moved down at the start of 2024 to pursue her Honours degree with Monica's lab, where she has been thoroughly enjoying her project, and is grateful to be a part of this wonderful group.
In my spare time she likes to play trombone and flute, knit, and paint. She is also an avid reader and keen to keep her love of English alive too.
Undergraduate Scholars
Lyle Cornish
Supervisor: Wayne
Lyle is a proud Wellington local and an undergraduate researcher completing his BSc in Biotechnology. He is interested in all things molecular biology, and is currently investigating the evolutionary relationship of metabolic flux and fitness in triosephosphate isomerase.
In his own time he enjoys cooking and baking, starting knitting projects he’ll never finish, and most of all spending time with his friends – preferably in the sun with an iced oat latte (so Welly!)”
Phylli JasonSmith
Supervisor: Monica
Phylli has recently moved back to her hometown of sunny Wellington after spending over a decade in the UK. An experienced horticulturalist and budding botanist, she is currently completing her BSc in Ecology and Biodiversity. This is her second degree, following a BA (hons) with a double major in Anthropology and Theatre, completed in 2010 at VUW. Phylli is currently assisting with optimizing a Phytophthora agathidicida diagnostic and is thoroughly enjoying delving into the world of microbiology in the MME lab.
In her spare time, Phylli enjoys hanging out with trees, dissecting seed pods, and learning how to solve cryptic crosswords.
Some of Our Recent Alumni
Dr Jordan Compton
(PhD 2020-2024)
Jordan was born in Wellington, but moved to Dunedin to complete her BSc in Biochemistry at the University of Otago. She then looked for a summer studentship back home in Wellington, getting in touch with Wayne and was lucky enough to have the opportunity to be involved with the enzyme evolution team. Loving the lab and her project so much, she stayed on as an Honours student in 2020 before completing her PhD on the world’s most interesting phosphofructokinase.
Dr Elsie Dunkley (PhD 2020-23)
Elsie completed a prizewinning MDDD, and then a blockbuster PhD, with Wayne. She explored the complex interplay between sequence, activity, and organismal fitness for the central metabolic enzyme, triosephosphate isomerase. Her heroic work involved > 200,000 pipette tips and — like all good research — raised many more fascinating questions. Elsie is now on a JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship with A/Prof Paola Laurino at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology. #Jealous
Max Hayhurst (MSc 2021-23)
After 4 years in Monica’s group —first as a summer scholar, then as a directed individual study student, then for his MSc (where he was the first person in the world to successfully transform Phytophthora agathidicida), and finally as a research assistant — Max has moved to a fully-funded PhD at the Hutton Institute in Scotland. We miss you, Max 2.0!
Dr Mike Fairhurst
(PhD 2019-22)
Mike completed a PhD with Monica on the pathogen that causes dieback. Though he first joined the lab way back in 2016 when we were down at Otago. In 2018 we moved to VUW, and Mike came with us as a Research Assistant. A year later, he decided to swap to a PhD. He is now working as an Advisor at the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).