Dr Laurence Don Wai Luu

Laurence Luu is an adjunct associate lecturer in Dr. Natalia Castaño Rodríguez's and A/Prof. Nadeem Kaakoush's research group. He is currently researching how the interactions between host immunogenetics and the microbiome leads to cancers of the gastrointestinal tract and inflammatory bowel disease.

Laurence previously completed his PhD in the Evolutionary Microbiology lab under the supervision of Prof. Ruiting Lan and Dr. Sophie Octavia where he investigated the evolution of Bordetella pertussis to vaccines. During his PhD, he discovered new proteomic adaptations that were associated with increased fitness in the current Australian epidemic B. pertussis population. This discovery garnered widespread media attention and led to a national call to improve vaccines for whooping cough.

Laurence continued his research on whooping cough in the Evolutionary Microbiology lab as a postdoctoral researcher where he applied proteomics and functional genomics to better understand the biology and molecular pathogenesis of B. pertussis infections in order to improve current vaccines and develop new treatments. He currently remains an honorary member of the lab.

Professional Experience

2019 - Current: Communication Ambassador, Australian Society for Microbiology (ASM)

2018 - Current: Postdoctoral Research Associate, School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW

2018 - PhD in Medical Microbiology and Immunology, UNSW

2014 - Bachelor of Medical Science (Hons I), UNSW

Awards

2019 - Fresh Science

2019 - ASM NSW-ACT Branch Postdoctoral Award

2018 - Best Poster Prize at UNSW Cross-Faculty Biomedical Symposium

2017 - Runner up in UNSW Science 1-minute Thesis competition

2017 - ASM NSW-ACT Branch Student Prize