Dr Dayna Challis
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
SAIGENCI
College of Health
Dr Dayna Challis is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the 3D Chromatin Organisation Laboratory, headed by Dr Joanna Achinger-Kawecka, at the South Australian ImmunoGENomics Cancer Institute (SAiGENCI).
Dayna completed her PhD in the Taberlay Lab at the University of Tasmania in 2024. Here, she profiled the molecular response of medulloblastoma cells to radiotherapy using multi-omics techniques (transcriptomics, proteomics, 3D genomics). During her PhD, she developed a particular interest in the 3D genome and how changes in 3D chromatin organisation may facilitate treatment resistance.
In 2025, Dayna commenced postdoctoral training in the 3D Chromatin Organisation Laboratory, headed by Dr Joanna Achinger-Kawecka, at the South Australian ImmunoGENomics Cancer Institute (SAiGENCI). Her current research focusses on understanding the role of 3D chromatin alterations in driving the development, progression, and treatment resistance of hormone-dependent cancers using a range of cutting-edge methods (multi-omics, single-cell, genome editing, and various pre-clinical model systems).
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 - 2024 | Postdoctoral Research Fellow | Menzies Institute for Medical Research |
| 2024 - 2024 | Associate Lecturer in Biomedicine | University of Tasmania |
| 2023 - 2024 | Technical Officer (Biochemistry) | University of Tasmania |
| 2022 - 2024 | Practical Demonstrator | University of Tasmania |
| 2019 - 2020 | Research Assistant (Cancer Epigenetics) | University of Tasmania |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 - 2024 | University of Tasmania | Australia | Graduate Certificate in Research |
| 2020 - 2024 | University of Tasmania | Australia | Doctor of Philosophy |
| 2019 - 2019 | University of Tasmania | Australia | Bachelor of Biotechnology and Medical Research with Honours (First Class) |
| 2016 - 2018 | University of Tasmania | Australia | Bachelor of Biotechnology and Medical Research (Pathology) |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Challis, D., Lippis, T., Wilson, R., Wilkinson, E., Dickinson, J., Black, A., . . . Brettingham-Moore, K. (2023). Multiomics analysis of adaptation to repeated DNA damage in prostate cancer cells. Epigenetics, 18(1). |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Challis, D., & Brettingham-Moore, K. (2022). The interplay between DNA damage and epigenetics in cancer. In M. Galvonas Jasiulionis (Ed.), Epigenetics and DNA Damage (Vol. 33, pp. 167-189). Waltham, MA, USA.: Academic Press. DOI |
Millennium Science - 10x Genomics Single Cell Fellowship (2025)
Lecturer (University of Tasmania)
2024 - Biomolecular Approaches to Medical Research
Practical Demonstrator (University of Tasmania)
2023 - Systems-based Approaches to Medical Research
2023- Biomolecular Approaches to Medical Research
2023 - Molecular Biology in Health and Disease
2023 - Biochemistry: Metabolism and Nutrition
2022-2023 - Introduction to Medical Laboratory Sciences
2022 - Techniques in Molecular Biology and Protein Biochemistry
| Date | Role | Membership | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 - ongoing | Member | Australian Bioinformatics And Computational Biology Society | Australia |
| 2022 - ongoing | Member | Australian Society for Medical Research (ASMR) | Australia |
| 2021 - ongoing | Member | Australasian Epigenetics Alliance (AEpiA) | Australia |
| Date | Topic | Presented at | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 - 2024 | Genome Organisation Australia Young TAD Award - Finalist | - | Genome Organisation Australia | - |
| 2024 - 2024 | Dovetail Genomics Inspired Science Webinar - Invited Speaker | - | Dovetail Genomics | - |
| 2023 - 2023 | Dovetail Genomics Epigenetics Summit - Invited Speaker | - | Dovetail Genomics | - |
| 2022 - 2022 | Australasian Epigenetics Alliance Conference - Young Investigator Award | - | Australasian Epigenetics Alliance | Australia |
| 2022 - 2022 | ASMR Student Award Finalist | - | Australian Society for Medical Research | Australia |
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