Janine Deakin

Janine Deakin
Born1971 (age 54–55)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
EducationMacquarie University (BSc, PhD)
Known forMarsupial and monotreme genomics, devil facial tumour disease research
Scientific career
FieldsGenetics, comparative genomics, epigenetics
WorkplacesUT Health San Antonio, Australian National University, University of Canberra

Janine Deakin is an Australian geneticist, academic leader, and consultant. She is the founder and principal consultant of Janine Deakin Consulting, a consultancy focused on supporting academics and universities in building sustainable academic careers. Previously, she was a professor at the University of Canberra and served as Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology as well as interim Deputy Vice Chancellor Research and Enterprise in 2024. She is a geneticist with expertise in the areas of comparative genomics, epigenetics, genetic immunology, and genome structure and regulation. A majority of her work has focused on Australian marsupials and monotremes, where her cytogenetic and molecular research on marsupial chromosomes and development of strategies to map genomes has provided insight into the evolution of mammalian genomes.

Early life and education

Deakin was born in Sydney, New South Wales in 1971. She attended Our Lady of the Rosary Primary School, Waitara and Mt St Benedict Girls’ High School, Pennant Hills.[citation needed]

She received her BSc(Honours) in 1994 at Macquarie University in Sydney. She then completed her PhD in Biology at Macquarie University in 1998 entitled “Immunology of mother-pouch young relationships in the brushtail possum, (Trichosurus vulpecula). Her thesis investigated the possibility of controlling possums in New Zealand by sterilizing the pouch young via the mother's immune response to a molecule important to sexual differentiation. She found, however, that this approach to possum control was unlikely to be effective due to the high level of non-responders to any antigen among possums.

Career

In 1998 Deakin moved to San Antonio, Texas to conduct postdoctoral research at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. She studied the effects of glucocorticoids on aging using knock-in mice (1998–2000).

She returned to Australia in 2001 as a postdoctoral fellow in the Evolution, Ecology and Genetics Division at the Australian National University, Canberra, which developed into a research fellow position with Prof Jenny Graves. Her research from 2001 to 2011 focused on marsupial and monotreme genomics, including cytogenetics, immunogenetics, epigenetics, and genome evolution.

Deakin was involved in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Kangaroo Genomics (2004–2010) and led the ANU team responsible for constructing the physical map of the tammar wallaby (Notamacropus eugenii) genome.

In 2011, she was awarded an ARC Future Fellowship to study the evolution of devil facial tumour disease. She transferred this fellowship from the Australian National University to the University of Canberra, where she was appointed as an associate professor in 2013 and later progressed to Professor.

During her time at the University of Canberra, Deakin held multiple leadership roles, including Deputy Director and Director of the Institute for Applied Ecology, as well as Deputy Dean, before being appointed Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology in January 2021. While serving as Executive Dean, she maintained her role as a genomics professor, concentrating her research on native Australian species, specifically studying Tasmanian devil facial tumour disease, speciation in rock-wallabies, and sex determination in the central bearded dragon.

Deakin later founded Janine Deakin Consulting to assist higher education institutions and individual researchers. Her firm offers personalized career guidance alongside institutional workshops aimed at strengthening leadership abilities, building sustainable academic workforces, and supporting career advancement, with specialized offerings tailored for early- and mid-career academics, emerging leaders, and women in STEM disciplines.

Research and outreach

Deakin's research focuses on comparative genomics, cytogenetics, and epigenetics in non-model organisms, particularly native Australian mammals. Alongside her scientific research, she has participated in media coverage and public outreach activities focused on wildlife conservation.

References

  1. ↑ "Home". jdeakinconsulting.com.au. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
  2. ↑ MacKay, Elly (8 January 2021). "UC Faculty of Science and Technology welcomes new Executive Dean". www.canberra.edu.au. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
  3. ↑ UnCover (8 May 2024). "UC academics connecting with Franklin Women". UnCover. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Ms Janine Deakin - Researchers - ANU". Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 "Janine Deakin - Institute for Applied Ecology". 25 August 2021. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Janine Deakin - RSB - ANU". Archived from the original on 11 April 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  7. ↑ Deakin, Janine E (26 February 1998). Immunology of mother-pouch young relationships in the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) (Thesis). Retrieved 26 February 2019 – via Trove.
  8. ↑ MacKay, Elly (8 January 2021). "UC Faculty of Science and Technology welcomes new Executive Dean". www.canberra.edu.au. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "Women in SciTech". University of Canberra. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "Services". Janine Deakin Consulting. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
  11. ↑ Deakin, J; Hore, T; Koina, E; et al. (2008). "The status of dosage compensation in the multiple X chromosomes of the platypus". PLoS Genetics. 4 (7): 1–13.
  12. ↑ Deakin, J; Koina, E; Waters, P; et al. (2008). "Physical map of two tammar wallaby chromosomes: a strategy for mapping in non-model mammals". Chromosome Research. 16: 1159–1175.
  13. ↑ Deakin, J.E. (2010). "Physical and comparative gene maps in marsupials". In Deakin, J.E.; Waters, P.D.; Graves, J.A.M. (eds.). Marsupial Genetics and Genomics. Dordrecht: Springer. pp. 101–115.
  14. ↑ Deakin, J.E.; Graves, J.A.M. (2010). "Mapping genes on tammar wallaby target chromosomes". In Coulson, G.; Eldridge, M. (eds.). Macropods: The biology of kangaroos, wallabies and rat kangaroos. Collingwood: CSIRO publishing. pp. 3–11.
  15. ↑ Deakin, J.E. (2011). "BAC Libraries: Precious Resources for Marsupial and Monotreme Comparative Genomics". In Chatterjee, P. (ed.). Bacterial Artificial Chromosomes. Croatia: InTech Open Access Publisher. pp. 1–22.
  16. ↑ Ellery, David (20 March 2014). "Devil of a time for crazy critters". Canberra Times. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  17. ↑ "Uncovering clues to save Tasmanian devil". Canberra.edu.au. 19 June 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  18. ↑ National Zoo & Aquarium (27 April 2014). "WIN TV story Tasmanian Devil Lecture". Retrieved 26 February 2019 – via YouTube.