Our Team
Meet the researchers and students of the Mark Willcox Research Group
Principal Investigator
Professor Mark Willcox
Principal Investigator
Biography
I am a medical microbiologist who has worked for many years in the area of infections of medical devices. My laboratory focuses on development of novel antimicrobials that have applications as antibiotics and disinfectants. We also develop new antimicrobial coatings that can be used for a variety of purposes, including coating of medical devices to reduce associated infections.
Research Focus
- Design of novel antimicrobials for use as antibiotics and disinfectants
- Design and testing of novel antimicrobial surfaces for medical devices
- Evaluation of the ocular microbiome to ocular surface homeostasis
- Discovery of biomarkers of human disease from tears
- Understanding changes to tears during contact lens wear
- Assessing microbial and mammalian responses during keratitis
Education
- DSc in ocular surface research (University of New South Wales, 2015)
- PhD in Medical Microbiology/Dentistry (University of Manchester, 1987)
- BSc Hons in Applied Biology (University of the West of England, 1983)
Key Achievements
- Over 550 peer-reviewed publications
- 15 patents
- Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry
- Fellow of the British Contact Lens Association
- Fellow of the Australian Society for Microbiology
- Fellow of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
Contact
+61-2-9065 5394
m.willcox@unsw.edu.au
School of Optometry and Vision Science
Room 3.004, Rupert Myers Building
UNSW Sydney NSW 2052, Australia
Professional Affiliations
- Past President of the International Society for Contact Lens Research
- Member of the Scientific Advisory Board – Ophtecs Corporation
- Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry (FAAO)
- Fellow of the British Contact Lens Association (FBCLA)
- Fellow of the Australian Society for Microbiology
- Fellow of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO Gold Fellow)
Postdoctoral Researchers
Our experienced research team
Muhammad Yasir
Senior Research Fellow
antimicrobial peptides; Microbiology; Infections
Umme Laila Urmi
Postdoctoral Researcher
Antimicrobial peptide, peptide mimics, antivirals, surface coatings, meibum interaction with drugs
George Enninful
Postdoctoral Researcher
Antimicrobial Peptides; Biological Engineering; Molecular biology
PhD Students
Current doctoral research projects
Abiye Tigabu Molla
PhD Student
Medical Microbiology, Genomics, molecular biology
Biruk Bayleyegn Belete
PhD Student
Immunohematology; Microbiome
Desie Kasew Assefa
PhD Student
Biofilms
Elias Shiferaw Mekonen
PhD Student
Antimicrobial resistance and novel antimicrobial peptides
Gebreselassie Demeke Mihiretie
PhD Student
Proteins and peptides, Biofilm
Heba Alenezi
PhD Student
Host immune response to microbial keratitis: corneal and conjunctival gene expression, genetics
Jiawei Shen
PhD Student · Dev support engineer
Bacterial infection; Virulence; Biofilm; Antibiotic resistance; Molecular biology; Genomics.
Kuma Diriba Urgeya
PhD Student
This study aimed to assess the effects of a single phage, a phage cocktail, and a phageantibiotic combination against P. aeruginosa biofilms isolated from corneal patients
Meseret Alem Damtie
PhD Student
Antibiotic resistance; antimicrobial peptide
Mukesh Kumar
PhD Student
optometry; contact lens
Nathan Carey
PhD Student
My research aims are broadly to synthesise new antimicrobial compounds. Recently my attention has been on using bacterial iron transport mechanisms to target resistant, virulent bacterial strains.
Naveed Saleem
PhD Student
Antimicrobial peptides
Nebiyat Feleke Adimassu
PhD Student
The role of bacteria in meibomian gland dysfunction
Rasel Ahmed Khan
PhD Student
My research interests lie in the field of medicinal chemistry, with a particular focus on the design and development of novel therapeutic agents. Currently, I am working on the development of next generation quorum sensing inhibitors.
Samea Khan
PhD Student
diabetic; Microbiology, Molecular biology
Samuel Attard
PhD Student
Synthesis of antimicrobial peptide-mimicking hydrogels
Shakeel Shahzad
PhD Student
Resistance of Acinetobacter spp. to Cationic Antimicrobials, and Effects on Virulence
Srikanth Dumpati
PhD Student
Optometry; contact lens
Suleman
PhD Student
Bacteriophages to control microbial keratitis caused by MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Tanzina Akter
PhD Student
Resistance and virulence characteristics of exoU and exoS Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Teshome Belachew Eshete
PhD Student
dual-acting antimicrobials
Tope A. Ibisanmi
PhD Student · Site developer
Antimicrobial resistance
Yalewayker Tegegne Asrat
PhD Student
Acanthamoeba endosymbionts
Masters Students
Graduate research projects
Lilla Nur Firli
Masters Student
Natural products isolation and characterisation of bioactive compounds
Visiting Fellows
Visiting researchers and collaborators
Mahjabeen Khan
Visiting Fellow
Microbiology, Antimicrobial resistance, Disinfection testing
Shyam Kumar Mishra
Visiting Fellow
Antimicrobial resistance, Clinical microbiology, Device-associated infections, Biofilm
Research Staff
Research officers and staff
Hari Kumar peguda
Team Member
New ways of diagnosing and treating Acanthamoeba Keratitis
Madeeha Afzal
Team Member
to track emerging pathogens such as SARS -CoV-2, Mpox and Influenza.
Parthasarathi Kalaiselvan
Research Officer
My research focuses on advancing eye health through the development of novel antimicrobial strategies and the clinical evaluation of contact lenses. I have a strong interest in antimicrobial peptides and their role in combating antimicrobial resistance, with applications in ocular surface diseases. My work spans laboratory research, animal models, and human clinical trials, integrating cell culture studies with translational applications. In addition, I investigate dry eye disease, ocular surface health, and binocular vision to better understand the complex interactions affecting patient outcomes.
Sidra Sarwat
Casual Academic
My research focuses on understanding the nanoscale dynamics of the precorneal tear film in dry eye disease by developing and applying fluorescent silicon quantum dots (Si-QDs) as advanced bioimaging probes. By engineering Si-QDs with tailored surface chemistries, ranging from highly hydrophilic groups, I aim to selectively interrogate the interactions, residence time, and turnover of aqueous and lipid tear film layers. Using in vivo rabbit models, the project integrates realtime fluorescence imaging with biocompatibility assessment to quantify tear film stability, lipid layer dynamics, and ocular safety. This work seeks to bridge a critical gap between biochemical tear film alterations and clinical manifestations of dry eye disease, providing a novel nanotechnology based framework for mechanistic understanding and future diagnostic or therapeutic strategies.
Alumni
Former lab members
Margaret Patrikakis
Andrew J. Geyelin
Helen J Oakey
Masahiko Fukuda
Christina Baleriola-Lucas
Fakhry Bestawros
Dr Wylinn Boey
A/Professor Archana Thakur
Julie Wickson
Dr Rebecca Taylor
Dr Kaye Power
Najat Harmis
Alison Clegg
Akta Chauhan
Karen Corrigan
Dr Damon Pearce
Gulhan Demirci
Dr Jai-Min Kim
Dr Sreedharan Athmanathan
Sophie Thuruthyil
Yulina Aliwarga
Jason Kassis
Maxine Tan
Dr Katherine Hollis-Watts
Dr Shamila Khan
Linda Garthwaite
Rani Bandara
Aidong Ding
A/Professor Qian Garrett
Dr Banglao Xu
Dr Zhenjun Zhao
Wen Wang
Dr Carla de Freitas Campos
Dr Ruo Zhong (Tony) Xie
Shamil Iskander
Professor Jingfang Liu
Duojia Wu
Dr Jaya Dantam
Neeta Khandekar
Dr Cameron Postnikoff
A/Professor Maud Gorbet
Dr Keizo Watanabe
Dr Ulrike Hampel
Dr Shashidhar Nizalapur
Dr Aditi Taunk
Bjorn Kamphuis
Rasim Pinarbasi
Franziska Kampshoff
Dr Davood Kharaghani
Dr Kate Browne
Dr Shekh Sabir
Dr Lakshman Subbaraman
Maud Kuipers
Cima Hachem
Research Areas
Our expertise spans multiple disciplines
Ocular Microbiology
Study of microbial communities and infections of the eye
Ocular Microbiome
Analysis of the microbial ecosystem of the ocular surface
Novel Antimicrobials
Development of new antibiotics and disinfectants
Contact Lenses
Research on contact lens materials and comfort
Join Our Research Team
We're always looking for talented researchers, students, and collaborators. Our group offers opportunities for cutting-edge research in ocular microbiology, antimicrobial development, and medical device innovation.