Michael Healy is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow at the University of Queensland's Institute for Molecular Bioscience. He is a structural biologist with expertise in protein structure determination, membrane trafficking, and computational protein design.

Michael's early research focused on the Commander complex, a key regulator of membrane trafficking in cells. He resolved the first structure of this complex using a combination of X-ray crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy, and machine learning approaches, including AlphaFold2. This work was publised in Cell (2023) and established him as a respected member of Australia's computational structural biology community. Where he is known for training researchers from diverse backgrounds in the application of AlphaFold2 and its derivatives.

Currently, supported by NHMRC funding, Michael is developing novel biologics that target membrane trafficking complexes. His work ivestigates, Molecular tool development, Biosensor design and development of theraputic candidates. His research combines cutting-edge computational protein design with experimental validation to advance new strategies for probing and manipulating membrane trafficking pathways.

I am a basic science researcher trained in molecular and cell biology, with expertise in transdisciplinary research. My primary focus is investigating the circadian aspects of (patho-) physiology, specifically in relation to the liver. I am particularly interested in understanding how circadian, endocrine, and metabolic pathways work together to maintain homeostasis, as well as how disruptions in these pathways can contribute to pathological conditions.

Following the completion of my PhD at Heidelberg University in Germany in 2013, I pursued post-doctoral studies as a Marie-Curie Fellow at Birmingham University (UK) and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (Switzerland). During this time, I utilized omics-approaches to elucidate the metabolic changes caused by impaired mitochondrial glucocorticoid biosynthesis and adrenal insufficiency. Additionally, I investigated the relationship between mitochondrial function and stress-induced depression. In order to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying rhythmic expression of metabolic genes, I also developed tools that facilitate the study of how circadian clock components and glucocorticoids cooperatively drive these processes.

In 2019, I have joined the Physiology of Circadian Rhythms laboratory at the Institute of Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, to investigate the role of the circadian clock and chronodisruption in metabolism and liver disease.