Meet the academics and researchers in the Wedell Lab.
Research group members
Dr Andre Nogueira Alves
Andre is a Research Fellow in the Wedell lab where he focuses on the evolutionary and genetic basis of insecticide resistance and sexual conflict. He completed his MSc in Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal, where he researched how novel species adapt to new nutritional environments, and how organ growth and patterning are coordinated. After, he pursued a PhD at Monash University under the supervision of A/Prof. Christen Mirth, A/Prof. Matt Piper and Prof. Carla Sgr, focusing on the effects of protein in nutritional plasticity in female fecundity. He joined Prof. Damian Dowling’s lab to collaborate on a research project looking at the effect of mito-nuclear backgrounds on the severity of the mother’s curse before joining the Wedell lab. He is currently focused on understanding how evolution in insecticide resistance genes shapes variation in populations. He also looks into how nutrition can impact insecticide resistance as a means to enhance it or deter it. Finally, he is also
andre.nogueiraalves@unimelb.edu.au
Dr Jonathan Wilson
I am a bioinformatician and population geneticist primarily interested in the genomic basis of rapid adaptation. My PhD research focused on how structural variants (namely chromosomal inversions and copy number variation) contribute to the success of the invasive common ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia. I am now working on understanding how transposable elements (TEs) may facilitate rapid adaptation, alongside how they may also prevent adaptive variants from spreading between populations. Focussing on Drosophila melanogaster as a model, I am using both genomic data and experimental evidence to unravel the fascinating world of TEs, and further our understanding of their importance in evolution within short timescales.
jonathan.r.wilson@unimelb.edu.au
David Sanchez Rodriguez
David is a biologist who graduated from the University of Quindío (Colombia, 2021) with a strong commitment to understanding and biodiversity. During his undergrad research, he examined the population status of red howler monkeys, Alouatta seniculus, in a protected area in the heart of the tropical Andes, gaining valuable field experience and skills in biological data analysis. In 2024, he joined the Wedell Lab as a master’s student, where he is investigating the molecular pathways that may reveal the evolutionary responses of insect populations to rising temperatures and chronic exposure to agrochemicals. His research uses the non-pest insect model vinegar fly, Drosophila melanogaster.
d.sanchezrodriguez@unimelb.edu.au
Krzysztof Janowicz
I graduated from the University of Aberdeen with a MSc in Genetics with specialisation in immunology. As part of my Bachelor degree I completed a yearlong research placement under the supervision of Prof. Bartosz Kempisty at Poznan University of Medical Sciences, where I conducted an individually designed project on the role of exosomes in tongue cancer. During that time, with three other students sent from Aberdeen, I also co-authored 14 publications, both original papers and systematic reviews. My master thesis was completed under the supervision of Dr Catriona Cunningham. The thesis was a meta-analysis and systematic review on the role of gene therapies in the process of regenerating injured spinal cord. It was the very first analysis alike ever conducted for the injury of the spinal cord and got published on the account of the University of Aberdeen. I have also visited Wuhan University due to my interest in Mandarin and completed an Erasmus Exchange at University College Cork.