Dr Steven Hussey
Senior Research Fellow
School of Agriculture, Food and Wine
College of Science
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.
I'm passionate about plant developmental biology, functional genomics and bioengineering of woody perennials. I've conducted research in South Africa, the United States and Australia, mostly on the transcriptional and epigenetic regulation of wood development in Eucalyptus. I hold an affiliate position at the University of Pretoria (since 2022) and a Prestigious (P) rating with the National Research Foundation of South Africa (2020-2025).
I'm a plant molecular biologist and synthetic biologist interested in the transcriptional and epigenomic regulation of plant development, lignocellulosic feedstocks, secondary cell wall biology and horticultural crops. In previous and current research, I've aimed to understand the transcriptional regulatory networks underlying xylogenesis, uncover the biological roles of transcription factors and gene promoters, decipher and molecular mechanisms underlying traits of interest, and design synthetic circuits for the manipulation and bioengineering of plant systems. I have a wide interest in plant biotechnology and have extensive experience working with transdisciplinary teams.
I also serve as the Chief Scientific Officer of the Adelaide University node of Plant Synthetic Biology Australia.
| Date | Type | Title | Institution Name | Country | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Research Award | Hofmeyr-Van Schaik Silver Medal | South African Genetics Society | South Africa | - |
| 2020 | Research Award | Prestigious (P) Award | National Research Foundation | South Africa | - |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Makhura, I., Ployet, R., Myburg, A. A., Cassan-Wang, H., & Hussey, S. G. (2026). Eucalyptus grandisAuxinResponseFactor 10 (EgrARF10) is associated with the modulation of secondary xylem cell wall chemistry. Tree Genetics and Genomes, 22(4), 13 pages. |
| 2023 | Takawira, L. T., Hadj Bachir, I., Ployet, R., Tulloch, J., San Clemente, H., Christie, N., . . . Hussey, S. G. (2023). Functional investigation of five R2R3-MYB transcription factors associated with wood development in Eucalyptus using DAP-seq-ML. Plant Molecular Biology, 113(1-3), 33-57. Scopus5 WoS5 Europe PMC4 |
| 2022 | Karannagoda, N., Spokevicius, A., Hussey, S., Cassan-Wang, H., Grima-Pettenati, J., & Bossinger, G. (2022). Eucalyptus grandis AUX/INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID 13 (EgrIAA13) is a novel transcriptional regulator of xylogenesis. Plant Molecular Biology, 109(1-2), 51-65. Scopus5 WoS5 Europe PMC3 |
| 2020 | Karannagoda, N., Spokevicius, A., Hussey, S., & Bossinger, G. (2020). Microanalytical techniques for phenotyping secondary xylem. IAWA Journal, 41(3), 356-389. Scopus5 WoS4 |
| 2020 | Lyall, R., Schlebusch, S. A., Proctor, J., Prag, M., Hussey, S. G., Ingle, R. A., & Illing, N. (2020). Vegetative desiccation tolerance in the resurrection plant Xerophyta humilis has not evolved through reactivation of the seed canonical LAFL regulatory network. Plant Journal, 101(6), 1349-1367. Scopus20 WoS19 Europe PMC19 |
| 2020 | Yang, X., Medford, J. I., Markel, K., Shih, P. M., De Paoli, H. C., Trinh, C. T., . . . Tuskan, G. A. (2020). Plant Biosystems Design Research Roadmap 1.0. BioDesign Research, 2020, 8051764. Scopus29 Europe PMC27 |
| 2019 | Tonfack, L. B., Hussey, S. G., Veale, A., Myburg, A. A., & Mizrachi, E. (2019). Analysis of orthologous SECONDARY WALL-ASSOCIATED NAC DOMAIN1 (SND1) promotor activity in herbaceous and woody angiosperms. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 20(18), E4623. Scopus2 WoS2 Europe PMC2 |
| 2019 | Brown, K., Takawira, L. T., O'Neill, M. M., Mizrachi, E., Myburg, A. A., & Hussey, S. G. (2019). Identification and functional evaluation of accessible chromatin associated with wood formation in Eucalyptus grandis. New Phytologist, 223(4), 1937-1951. Scopus16 WoS16 Europe PMC16 |
| 2019 | Hussey, S. G., Grima-Pettenati, J., Myburg, A. A., Mizrachi, E., Brady, S. M., Yoshikuni, Y., & Deutsch, S. (2019). A Standardized Synthetic Eucalyptus Transcription Factor and Promoter Panel for Re-engineering Secondary Cell Wall Regulation in Biomass and Bioenergy Crops. ACS Synthetic Biology, 8(2), 463-465. Scopus19 WoS15 Europe PMC14 |
| 2018 | Laubscher, M., Brown, K., Tonfack, L. B., Myburg, A. A., Mizrachi, E., & Hussey, S. G. (2018). Temporal analysis of Arabidopsis genes activated by Eucalyptus grandis NAC transcription factors associated with xylem fibre and vessel development. Scientific Reports, 8(1), 14 pages. Scopus17 WoS16 Europe PMC15 |
| 2018 | Lu, Q., Shao, F., Macmillan, C., Wilson, I. W., van der Merwe, K., Hussey, S. G., . . . Qiu, D. (2018). Genomewide analysis of the lateral organ boundaries domain gene family in Eucalyptus grandis reveals members that differentially impact secondary growth. Plant Biotechnology Journal, 16(1), 124-136. Scopus65 WoS60 Europe PMC47 |
| 2017 | Hussey, S. G., Loots, M. T., Van Der Merwe, K., Mizrachi, E., & Myburg, A. A. (2017). Integrated analysis and transcript abundance modelling of H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 in developing secondary xylem. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 14 pages. Scopus29 WoS28 Europe PMC26 |
| 2015 | Hussey, S. G., Saïdi, M. N., Hefer, C. A., Myburg, A. A., & Grima-Pettenati, J. (2015). Structural, evolutionary and functional analysis of the NAC domain protein family in Eucalyptus. New Phytologist, 206(4), 1337-1350. Scopus65 WoS60 Europe PMC48 |
| 2015 | Hussey, S. G., Mizrachi, E., Groover, A., Berger, D. K., & Myburg, A. A. (2015). Genome-wide mapping of histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation in Eucalyptus grandis developing xylem. BMC Plant Biology, 15(1), 14 pages. Scopus31 WoS30 Europe PMC21 |
| 2014 | Myburg, A. A., Grattapaglia, D., Tuskan, G. A., Hellsten, U., Hayes, R. D., Grimwood, J., . . . Schmutz, J. (2014). The genome of Eucalyptus grandis. Nature, 510(7505), 356-362. Scopus774 WoS739 Europe PMC540 |
| 2013 | Hussey, S. G., Mizrachi, E., Creux, N. M., & Myburg, A. A. (2013). Navigating the transcriptional roadmap regulating plant secondary cell wall deposition. Frontiers in Plant Science, 4(AUG), 21 pages. Scopus142 WoS137 Europe PMC115 |
| 2011 | Botha, J., Pinard, D., Creux, N., Hussey, S., Maritz-Olivier, C., Spokevicius, A., . . . Myburg, A. (2011). Characterising the role of the Eucalyptus grandis SND2 promoter in secondary cell wall biosynthesis. BMC proceedings, 5(Suppl 7), P105. Europe PMC2 |
| 2011 | Hussey, S. G., Mizrachi, E., Spokevicius, A. V., Bossinger, G., Berger, D. K., & Myburg, A. A. (2011). SND2, a NAC transcription factor gene, regulates genes involved in secondary cell wall development in Arabidopsis fibres and increases fibre cell area in Eucalyptus. BMC Plant Biology, 11(1), 17 pages. Scopus156 WoS146 Europe PMC119 |
| 2011 | Hussey, S., Mizrachi, E., Berger, D., & Myburg, A. (2011). The role of SND2 in the regulation of Arabidopsis fibre secondary cell wall formation. BMC proceedings, 5(Suppl 7), P114. Europe PMC2 |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Hussey, S. G. (2022). Transcriptional regulation of secondary cell wall formation and lignification. In J. C. Kader, & M. Delseny (Eds.), Advances in Botanical Research (Vol. 104, pp. 317-361). Elsevier. DOI Scopus8 WoS7 |
| 2016 | Hussey, S. G., Wegrzyn, J. L., & Vasquez-Gross, H. A. (2016). Evolutionary Histories of Gene Families in Angiosperm Trees. In Plant Genetics and Genomics: Crops and Models (pp. 121-137). Springer International Publishing. DOI |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2018 | Takawira, L. T., Mizrachi, E., Myburg, A. A., & Hussey, S. G. (2018). Inferring secondary cell wall-associated transcriptional regulatory networks in <i>Eucalyptus grandis</i> through high-throughput DNA affinity purification sequencing. In SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY Vol. 115 (pp. 329-330). ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. DOI |
| 2012 | Singh, P., Hussey, S. G., Maritz-Olivier, C., Mizrachi, E., & Myburg, A. A. (2012). Expression and characterisation of <i>Egr</i>SND2, a <i>Eucalyptus grandis</i> transcription factor potentially involved in secondary cell wall regulation. In SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY Vol. 79 (pp. 238). ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. |
| 2012 | Botha, J., Pinard, D., Creux, N., Hussey, S., Maritz-Olivier, C., Mizrachi, E., & Myburg, A. A. (2012). Promoter analysis of the <i>Eucalyptus grandis</i> secondary cell wall related <i>SND2</i> transcription factor gene. In SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY Vol. 79 (pp. 226). ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. |
2026: Mortlock Bequest, Clement Phillipson Bequest, National Research Foundation
2025: Mortlock Bequest, Bioplatforms Australia, National Research Foundation
2024: Mortlock Bequest, National Research Foundation
Funding prior to 2024 is shown below.
| Sources | Total for year | |
| 2014 | DST, NRF, Sappi, Mondi, THRIP | ZAR560,000 |
| 2015 | DST, NRF, Sappi, Mondi, THRIP | ZAR560,000 |
| 2016 | DOE-JGI, DST, NRF, Sappi, Mondi, THRIP, UP, NSTF, Inqaba Biotec, Whitehead Scientific, Thermo Scientific, ACGT, UP | ZAR1,870,000 |
| 2017 | DOE-JGI, UP, Australia Awards, THRIP, Sappi, Mondi | ZAR1,040,000 |
| 2018 | DOE-JGI, UP, GCRF, THRIP, Sappi, Mondi | ZAR1,600,000 |
| 2019 | DST-TIA, UP, GCRF, Sappi, Mondi | ZAR2,000,000 |
| 2020 | DST-TIA, UP, GCRF, Sappi, Mondi | ZAR1,830,000 |
| 2021 | NRF, GCRF, DSI, TIA | ZAR1,925,000 |
| 2022 | NRF, DSI, TIA | ZAR1,200,000 |
| 2023 | NRF, DSI, TIA | ZAR950,000 |
2021 Module coordinator and lecturer: Eukaryotic Gene Regulation 351
Module coordinator: Molecular and Cell Biology 721 (Honours course)
2020 Module coordinator and lecturer: Eukaryotic Gene Regulation 351
Module coordinator: Molecular and Cell Biology 721 (Honours course)
2019 Lecturer for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation 351
Module coordinator: Molecular and Cell Biology 721 (Honours course)
Guest lecturer: Plant Genetics and Crop Biotechnology 361
Lecturer: Spring School on Solar Energy and Photosynthesis
2018 Lecturer for Plant Genetics and Crop Biotechnology 361
Lecturer for Molecular and Cell Biology 721 (Honours course)
Lecturer: Spring School on Solar Energy and Photosynthesis
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Principal Supervisor | Novel genetic tools and strategies for bioengineering plant biomass | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Padam Poudel |
| 2026 | Principal Supervisor | Engineering self-fertility in almonds through gene editing | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr . Waqas |
| 2026 | Principal Supervisor | Using genetically well-linked Pinus radiata breeding trials to identify drivers of genotype-by-environment interactions | Master of Research | Master | Full Time | Mr Sebastian James Rogers |
| 2025 | Co-Supervisor | Genetic regulation of peduncle growth in barley (Hordeum vulgare) | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mrs Chairunisa . |
| Date | Role | Membership | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 - ongoing | Member | Australian Society of Plant Scientists | Australia |
| Date | Office Name | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 - ongoing | Chief Scientific Officer | Plant Synthetic Biology Australia - Adelaide University | Australia |
| 2018 - 2021 | Secretary | South African Genetics Society | South Africa |
Connect With Me
External Profiles
