Breaking ground and breaking barriers
How Jenny Martin turned structural biology into a foundation for collaboration, inclusion, and global impact
Emerita Professor Jenny Martin’s journey started with a bang.
When she arrived back in Australia in 1993, she wasn’t just bringing luggage, she was carrying cutting-edge science that would change Queensland’s research landscape forever. With a suitcase full of expertise from Rockefeller University in New York, Jenny set up Queensland’s very first protein crystallography lab, pioneering a whole new field in the state.
“When I arrived in Queensland, I knew we were planting seeds for the future. Starting the first protein crystallography lab wasn’t just about science—it was about opening doors for collaboration and discovery.”
Jenny’s story began years earlier at the Victorian College of Pharmacy, where she topped her cohort and took home the Gold Medal. She then dove into computational chemistry before heading to Oxford University for a DPhil in protein crystallography and drug design, thanks to the prestigious 1851 Science Research Scholarship.
Back in Australia, Jenny quickly established herself as a trailblazer, securing ARC and NHMRC Fellowships. Her work has earned her notable accolades, including the ASBMB Roche Medal and the Women in Biotech Outstanding Biotechnology Achievement Award. She continues to serve as an ARC Australian Laureate Fellow at the University of Queensland’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB).
But Jenny’s impact extends far beyond the lines of her resume.
In the late 1990s, Jenny found herself at the heart of a game-changing vision that reshaped Queensland’s research landscape. Alongside a team of bold leaders, she helped shape the IMB, a one-of-a-kind research hub designed to smash silos and bring diverse scientific disciplines under one inspiring roof. This wasn’t just a pipe dream; it had full backing from the government.
“The ‘Smart State’ strategy was a game-changer. It showed how visionary government support can empower scientists to dream bigger and achieve more.” Under the leadership of then-Premier Peter Beattie, State Government invested heavily in building a knowledge-based economy with science and innovation front and centre.
“It was about big, bold ideas…bringing the best minds together in one place,” Jenny recalled. “Government, politicians, and scientists walking in lockstep to make the state, and the world, a better place.”
The IMB facility, opened in 2003, was groundbreaking in its architectural design and research capabilities. Jenny was involved in the building’s planning, including the layout of key research spaces such as the crystallisation and X-ray diffraction rooms. Natural light, transparent walls, and lab visibility were just a few of the features that fostered collaboration and inspiration.
“It changed what we could do,” she said. “We set up world-leading fragment screening by crystallography and began working on membrane proteins…things that weren’t possible in our previous setup.”
The facility also gave researchers the competitive edge in securing multi-million-dollar grants, enabling them to acquire high-throughput equipment and expand the scope of their work.
More than the infrastructure, though, Jenny loved the spirit of IMB. She described a community bound by a shared passion for discovery, where everyone, from PhD students to senior administrators, contributed to the collective mission.
“There was an energy in the building that was singing,” she said. “Everyone was working together, driven by a thirst for knowledge.”
Since its founding in 2000, IMB has secured itself as number 1 on the Natures Index and has helped propel UQ into the world’s top 50 universities, an achievement that speaks to the power of vision, unity, and long-term investment.
But Jenny is focused on the future.
Her personal mantra, “New knowledge, new ideas, better world”, drives her thinking as a leader. She believes great research institutions must get three things right: ideas, innovation, and inclusion.
“If it matters, we need to measure it,” she insists. “We must set targets, measure outcomes, and report transparently. Science thrives when everyone has a seat at the table. Inclusion isn’t just a value…it’s a necessity for innovation.”
“The next 25 years will demand even more creativity and cooperation. We must continue breaking down barriers, both scientific and social, to create a truly global research community.”
Her story is one of relentless pursuit—not just of knowledge, but of a better, more collaborative future for science in Australia.