David Skerrett-Byrne Australian Society for Medical Research Annual Scientific Meeting 2016

David Skerrett-Byrne

Dr David Skerrett-Byrne is an early career postdoctoral researcher in the fields of reproductive biology and multiomic analyses at The University of Newcastle (UoN) and Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI). His research projects aim to investigate the role of the epididymis, a highly specialised region of the male reproductive tract, critical to the functional maturation of sperm, as well as transmission of environmental stress signatures to sperm cargo and the subsequent transgenerational effects. With a strong academic and research background in protein biochemistry, he was successful in obtaining a competitive scholarship to undertake a PhD in applied proteomics at UoN Australia (2014), under the mentorship of A/Professor Matthew Dun, international leading cancer biologist. During this time, he was trained in cancer and immune biology and gained high sought-after skills in mass spectrometry-based proteomics, bioinformatics, in-vivo mouse experiments alongside a variety of molecular biochemistry techniques. Ultimately, his productivity as a PhD candidate led to his postdoctoral recruitment to the Infertility and Reproduction Research Program by Professor Brett Nixon, where he has gained specialised training in reproductive and epididymal biology. He is an emerging, internationally recognised research leader in reproductive proteomics. In the early stages of his research career, he has published 30 research articles in leading journals such Cell Reports and Molecular & Cellular Proteomics. His strong credentials in reproductive proteomics is evidenced by publications characterising sperm development, the most in-depth epididymal sperm proteome characterisation to date (>6,000 proteins), and the first multiomic assessment of the critically important male reproductive tissue, seminal vesicle, shedding light on its protein composition, and the pathological impact of the reproductive toxicant acrylamide. His research has led to presentations at the prestigious international Human Proteome Organization World Congress (Ireland’17 & Australia’19), and invited talks at the NSW Reproduction Forum (’19) and Epididymis 8th (Germany ’22). As of 2022, he has been recognised by the Australian Government’s Department of Home Affairs as a Global Talent in the Health Industries; a highly skilled researcher at the cutting edge of innovation.