Dr Jenn Fifita is a post-doctoral researcher in the Genetics and Genomics Team at the Centre for motor neuron disease (MND) Research. Jenn has dedicated her research career to the molecular genetic origins of MND, with over 10 years' experience. After completing her PhD at Macquarie University in 2017 she was awarded the prestigious MND Research Institute of Australia Bill Gole Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. 

She has developed a unique multidisciplinary approach to identifying disease-causing gene mutations and understanding MND disease mechanisms. This expertise is broad in scope, including the analysis and interpretation of large genomic datasets for disease gene discovery, functional biology to understand the consequence of mutations, and animal model studies to understand pathological mechanisms. 

I have been mentoring students (PhD, MRes 1 and 2, B. Clinc Sci, summer and PACE students) since 2014, and am passionate about bringing the best out of all my students. I aim to keep my students organised to reduce stress, provide feedback and advice on ECR skills, provide career and academic progression advice at all stages, and generally assist each student where uniquely required.

Motor Neuron disease, genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, cell biology