Curtin University (Perth, Australia)

Curtin University has ~45,000 students and has core expertise in wine science – Curtin is presently the leading provider of professional development for Viticulturalists and Winemakers in Western Australia. Since vineyards were first planted in the region only 35 years ago, Margaret River’s grapegrowers and winemakers have created some of Australia’s leading wine companies and labels.

Role and key persons: 

Professor Michael Bunce is head of the Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) laboratory and runs a diverse research program involving the isolation of DNA from a variety of biological substrates. Prof. Bunce will contribute to this training program through his molecular biology expertise and by providing direct access into other researchers at Curtin who work in wine science. Prof Bunce will also co-supervise ESR5.

Research facilities, infrastructure and equipment: 

Curtin University will contribute to MicroWine through its expertise in metagenomics and metabarcoding. The TrEnD lab has a dedicated MiSeq DNA sequencer and direct access to supercomputing infrastructure. CU has run the Centre for Wine Excellence at Margaret River for over a decade and provides excellence in training and research for the Australian Wine Industry. Taken together CU has an ideal platform on which to contribute a ‘new world’ comparison within the MicroWine program.

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