University of New South Wales - CMB

CMB History And Vision

The Centre for Marine Bio-Innovation (CMB) was established in November 1994 as the result of the merging of the research programs of the Directors, Staffan Kjelleberg and Peter Steinberg. From this initial collaboration based on the integration of marine chemical ecology and microbiology, the CMB has grown to include a diversity of research capabilities, with application to a number of industries.

The CMB is an international focal point for interdisciplinary basic and applied research into chemically mediated interactions between organisms. The research platforms of the Centre are based on understanding, in a mechanistic fashion, how chemical signals mediate the ecology, physiology and molecular biology of organisms, and the subsequent application of this knowledge to novel biotechnologies across environmental, industrial and medical settings.

The CMB integrates research across microbiology, marine chemical ecology, ecological theory, chemistry, and organism and community genomics, made possible through the Centre organisation and collaboration between its home Schools of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, and Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, and the School of Chemistry. The CMB drives research excellence in studies of microbial biofilms, bacteria-higher organism interactions, colonization biology of marine sessile organisms, experimental marine ecology, biofouling, biodiversity, bioremediation and inter-kingdom signalling.

The CMB has more than 50 full time members, comprised of research fellows, postdocs, postgraduate and honours students, and research assistants. A number of collaboration in Australia and overseas contribute to the high standard and international profile of the Centre which routinely welcomes visiting researchers from around the world. Since its creation, the Centre has attracted funding from a variety of sources both within and outside Australia. It includes success in competitive grants, notably the ARC but also from international bodies. It has also received considerable support from relevant industry sources. There is a strong record of Honours and Postgraduate student supervision. More than 320 publications and 21 successful patents have arisen from work done in the Centre in its 13 years of existence.

Our Relationship To UNSW And Other Institutions

The CMB is located in the Biological Sciences Building at the University of New South Wales. CMB activities are based in the Faculty of Science UNSW and primarily associated with the Schools of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences (BABS), Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES) and Chemistry.

Synthesis and design of "smart molecules" are done by the synthetic chemistry group led by Dr Naresh Kumar in the School of Chemistry. The group also includes Drs George Iskander, William Lau, Paulo de Silva and Valentina Vignevich. The chemistry team, as well as focussing on synthesis of signalling molecules, is also developing new ways of incorporating smart molecules into polymers and assists in natural product chemistry projects within the marine chemical ecology program at CMB.

Key research activities in the CMB also occur within (see Research Platforms and Partnerships ), and in collaboration with a number of Australian and international institutions (see Collaborations) Although not directly responsible for undergraduate teaching, the CMB's personnel and expertise contribute to a number of undergraduate lectures and laboratory classes in the Schools of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences and Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, bringing the latest research advances into the classroom. The CMB is also very active in the training of research students with close to half of its full time members being honours or postgraduate students. Research students are directly involved in the Centre's main research areas and are supervised within the Centre and through the different collaborations, resulting in high calibre graduates that go on to work in academia and industry both in Australia and overseas (see CMB Alumni).

The Centre's commercial activities are in part managed by the commercial arm of the University of New South Wales, New South Innovations Pty Ltd and by Biosignal Ltd a start-up company listed on the ASX in 2004 to commercialise designated intellectual property arising from the Centre.