The ACT RNA Club
About Us
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) RNA Club, based in Canberra, Australia, is the leading forum connecting RNA researchers and RNA community across the ACT's major RNA research centres, including the Australian National University (ANU), the University of Canberra (UC), the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Canberra Hospital. Founded in 2018 by Professor Thomas Preiss, a renowned RNA biologist and former Director of the Shine-Dalgarno Centre for RNA Innovation (SDCRI) at ANU, the Club is now led by early career researchers and PhD students from ANU, UC, and CSIRO, with guidance from Professor Eduardo Eyras, SDCRI Director and an internationally recognised expert in computational and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven RNA biology.
The Club hosts research seminars, networking events, career panels, and the annual Canberra RNA Emerging Leaders Symposium. Bringing together researchers from diverse disciplines, institutions, and career stages, the Club fosters collaboration, knowledge exchange, education, and professional development across RNA biology, therapeutics, computational and AI-enabled RNA research, plant science, diagnostics, biotechnology, and biomedicine. Participants include Honours and post-graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, group leaders, clinicians, industry scientists, and government stakeholders.
Since its inception, the Club has been supported by multiple sources, including SDCRI, RNA Society, Australasian RNA Biology and Biotechnology Association (A-RNA), as well as industry sponsors, including Cytiva, Promega, New England Biolabs, Millenium Science and Lexogen.
Committee Members
Dr Yoshika Janapala
John Curtin School of Medical Research, JCSMR, ANU
Dr Yoshika Janapala is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Shine-Dalgarno Centre for RNA Innovation at The Australian National University (ANU), working in the laboratory of Professor Thomas Preiss (JCSMR). Her research focuses on RNA biology and post-transcriptional gene regulation, with expertise in mRNA translation, translational control and RNA therapeutics.
Her broader interests include RNA-protein interactions and long non-coding RNAs. She co-developed enhanced Translation Complex Profiling-seq (eTCP-seq), and specialises in polysome profiling, and immunoprecipitation-based sequencing methodologies. Dr Janapala has been a member of The RNA Society and an organiser of the ACT RNA Club since 2018.
Dr Ulrike Schumann
John Curtin School of Medical Research, JCSMR, ANU
Dr Ulrike Schumann is a Senior Lecturer at the Shine-Dalgarno Centre for RNA Innovation at ANU. Her research aims to develop diagnostic and RNA-based therapeutic avenues for Age-related Macular Degeneration that support clinical decision making. Her work focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms that drive retinal degeneration and identifying RNA biomarkers that predict future disease outcomes.
She has extensive expertise in RNA biology from RNA silencing mechanisms to epitranscriptomics and she specialises in utilising cutting edge transcriptional technologies. Dr Schumann is the current A-RNA Board Member for the ACT and has co-led the ACT RNA Club since 2023.
Dr Agin Ravindran
John Curtin School of Medical Research, JCSMR, ANU
Dr Agin Ravindran is a Postdoctoral Researcher at ANU specialising in RNA biology, epitranscriptomics and RNA biotechnology. His research integrates molecular biology, biochemistry and computational approaches to investigate RNA modifications, translation, RNA stability and RNA–protein interactions.
He has extensive expertise in Oxford Nanopore direct RNA sequencing and the development and application of nanopore-based machine-learning tools and analytical pipelines. His current research extends into mRNA and circular RNA engineering, RNA design, ribosome profiling and translational assay development, with a broader focus on developing RNA technologies for biomedical and therapeutic applications.
Jack Bell
Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Canberra
Mr. Jack Bell is a PhD candidate at the University of Canberra, specialising in protein biochemistry and molecular virology. His research focuses on the structural and immunobiological processes of the hepatitis B virus in the context of the HBV surface antigens.
Jack's PhD project is investigating how the surface antigen-specific immune response leads to the dichotomous outcomes of hepatitis B, and what the potential mechanisms behind B cell tolerance and dysfunction in chronic hepatitis B are at the cellular level.
Dr Chengcheng Zhong
Agriculture and Food, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, CSIRO
Dr Chengcheng Zhong is a Research Scientist at CSIRO Agriculture and Food in Canberra, where she develops RNA-based technologies for sustainable crop protection and plant improvement. Her research focuses on RNA biology, gene silencing, RNA engineering, and plant-insect and plant-pathogen interactions.
She has particular expertise in designing and evaluating RNA-based approaches for pest management. Her background is in molecular biology and bioinformatics. She is interested in translating fundamental RNA research into practical applications for crop management. She enjoys collaborating across disciplines to advance RNA science and innovation.
Dr Susannah Brown
National Therapeutic mRNA Platform, JCSMR, ANU
Dr Susannah Brown is the team leader of the National Therapeutic mRNA Platform, a research service node within the Biomolecular Resource Facility at the John Curtin School of Medical Research. She is an analytical chemist and protein mass spectrometrist by training (PhD in Bioanalytical Chemistry; UNSW).
Susannah pivoted to the RNA world in 2022 when she joined the UNSW RNA Institute as an analytical scientist focused on developing quality control assays for RNA-based therapeutics/vaccines. Currently her work focuses on enabling researchers to optimise their therapeutic mRNA targets through services spanning mRNA design, synthesis, purification, biochemical characterisation, and functional testing.
Dr Die Hu
Research School of Biology, ANU
Dr Die Hu is a postdoctoral researcher at the Research School of Biology, ANU. Her research focuses on RNA processing and regulation in plant mitochondria, with a particular interest in pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins and their roles in organellar RNA metabolism. Her current work investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying mitochondrial RNA processing and protein–RNA regulatory networks, using molecular, biochemical and proximity-labelling approaches.
Dr Daisy Li
Research School of Biology , ANU
Dr Daisy Li is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Melonek Group at the Research School of Biology, ANU. Her research focuses on plant organelle biology and nuclear–organellar interactions, with a particular interest in RNA regulation and the molecular mechanisms underlying plant reproductive development. She has expertise in plant molecular biology, genomics and bioinformatics, with research interests spanning pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins, cytoplasmic male sterility and plant fertility.
Dr Jin Yan Yap
Shine-Dalgarno Centre for RNA Innovation, ANU
Dr Jin Yan Yap is the Project Lead of the Shine-Dalgarno Centre for RNA Innovation and other RNA and Computational Biology innovation initiatives at the John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR), The Australian National University (ANU). Dr Yap completed her PhD and postdoctoral training in basic and clinical immunology, with a research focus on rare genetic diseases, including disorders arising from aberrant RNA splicing.
Dr Yap has extensive experience in scientific project and event management, financial and grant management, and stakeholder engagement across the academic, clinical, and industry sectors, gained through her academic and professional roles, industry placement, and participation in research commercialisation programs.
Prof. Eduardo Eyras
Advisor, Director of Shine-Dalgarno Centre for RNA Innovation, ANU
Prof. Eduardo Eyras is Director of the Shine-Dalgarno Centre for RNA Innovation (SDCRI) at ANU and an internationally recognised leader in computational RNA biology. He has a long-standing commitment to building RNA communities through research, training, mentoring, and scientific event organisation.
As advisor to the ACT RNA Club, he provides strategic leadership and supports initiatives that connect researchers across institutions, disciplines, and career stages, helping strengthen the RNA community in Canberra and beyond.
News
Stay up to date with the latest news, announcements, activities and upcoming events from our community.
The ACT RNA Club hosted the Canberra RNA Emerging Leaders Symposium on 24 August 2026, bringing together 60+ researchers from ANU, UC and CSIRO to showcase innovative RNA research, network and exchange ideas. The event featured rapid-fire presentations, an expert panel on IP and patenting, and recognition of outstanding researchers, with generous support from the symposium’s sponsors.
The ACT RNA Club hosted Dr Andre Hakles and Stephan Prodic, showcasing new advances in RNA research and emerging technologies. An SDCRI-sponsored lunch connected PhD students and ECRs with the speakers to discuss research and career opportunities.
The ACT RNA Club hosted Ms Lixinyu Liu (Emma) and Dr Diep Ganguly for its first 2026 seminar, featuring research on alternative polyadenylation, RNA processing, and surveillance. SDCRI sponsored a networking lunch, giving students and ECRs an opportunity to discuss research, grant applications, and academic career pathways with the speakers.
Events
An opportunity to learn the latest RNA research updates conducted in Australia and to connect with invited speakers and local RNA Community, through the seminar and networking events. Additionally, an SDCRI-sponsored networking lunch with the invited speakers is available for a limited number of PhD students and early career researchers
Code of Conduct
The Club is committed to fostering an inclusive, welcoming, and respectful environment. The Club activities abide by the ANU Code of Conduct, ANU Student Code of Conduct and align with The RNA Society Code of Conduct.
Contact Us
Email: act.rnaclub@anu.edu.au