Katherine Belov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Katherine Belov
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Katherine Belov in 2014
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| Born | 1973 (age 51–52) Sydney, Australia
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| Awards | The Australian Institute of Policy and Science (AIPS) Tall Poppy award (2008), Received People's Choice Award, at the 20th Australian Museum Eureka Prizes (2009), Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (2009), Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Research and Innovation, Environmental Research (2011) |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Macquarie University |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | The University of Sydney |
| Main interests | Genetics, genomics, marsupial and monotreme genomics, evolution of the adaptive immune system |
| Notable works | Genetics of Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease |
Katherine Belov (born 1973) is an Australian geneticist. She is a professor at the University of Sydney. Her work focuses on studying the genes of animals, especially Australian wildlife.
Professor Belov leads a group called the Australasian Wildlife Genomics Group. They study the genes of animals like Tasmanian devils and koalas. These animals are important Australian species that are facing threats from diseases.
Throughout her career, Katherine Belov has made many important discoveries. She showed that the immune system of marsupials (like kangaroos and opossums) is not simple, but actually very advanced. She also helped map the genes of the platypus. Her team found out what makes platypus venom so painful. She also discovered why a contagious cancer was spreading among Tasmanian devils.
Katherine Belov also supports Women in STEM. This means she encourages women to study and work in science, technology, engineering, and math. Many of the students and researchers in her team are women.
Contents
About Katherine Belov
Early Life and Education
Katherine Belov was born in Sydney, Australia, in 1973. Her parents were immigrants from Russia. She grew up in West Ryde, New South Wales.
She first studied human genetics at Macquarie University. However, her professor, Des Cooper, convinced her to switch to animal genetics. She started by studying grey kangaroos. Soon, she began focusing on marsupials.
At the time, some scientists thought marsupials had a very basic immune system. Katherine Belov challenged this idea. She proved that marsupials have complex immune systems, similar to humans. This research inspired her to get her PhD in marsupial immunology. She finished her PhD in 2002.
Studying the Platypus
In 2004, Katherine Belov joined a team of scientists to map the genes of the platypus. Mapping a genome means figuring out the complete set of genetic instructions for an organism. Over 100 scientists from around the world worked on this project. Their findings were published in a science journal called Nature in 2008.
One exciting discovery was that platypuses have special substances called anti-microbial peptides. These substances can fight many types of bacteria and viruses. They might even help fight serious infections in humans, like staph infections.
Belov's team continued to study platypus venom. Platypus venom is very painful to humans, and there is no cure for it. Her team worked to understand what makes the venom so strong. They found that platypus venom contains many different toxins. Some are like snake venom, some are like spider venom, and others are like lizard venom.
Helping Tasmanian Devils
In 2007, Katherine Belov became a lecturer at the University of Sydney. She started focusing on a serious problem: devil facial tumour disease. This is a contagious cancer that began spreading among Tasmanian devils in 1996.
Many scientists wondered why the devils couldn't fight off this cancer. Katherine Belov and her team found the answer. They discovered that the cancer cells are so similar to the devils' own cells that their immune systems don't recognize the cancer as a threat. Because of this, the devils' bodies don't try to fight the cancer.
New Discoveries and Leadership
Katherine Belov became a full Professor at the University of Sydney. She received an award to continue her research. She studies the genes of devils, platypuses, and other Australian animals like skinks and wallabies.
In 2016, her team made two important discoveries:
- They found that special substances in Tasmanian devil milk can kill dangerous bacteria and fungi. This is a big step in fighting "superbugs" that are hard to treat with medicine.
- They found new genetic differences in a group of Tasmanian devils living in a remote area. This is important for understanding how to protect the devils.
Professor Belov has written over 170 scientific papers. Her team, the Australasian Wildlife Genomics Group, continues to study the genes and evolution of Australian wildlife. They focus on the immune system and how genetics can help protect endangered animals.
In 2016, she also took on a new role at the University of Sydney. She became the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement. This means she helps manage the university's connections with other countries around the world.
Katherine Belov was recognized for her great work in science. She received the Officer of the Order of Australia award.
Awards and Honours
- 2008 – The Australian Institute of Policy and Science (AIPS) Tall Poppy award
- 2009 – People's Choice Award at the Australian Museum Eureka Awards
- 2011 – Eureka Awards for Environmental Research
- 2014 – Fenner Medal for Research in Biology from the Australian Academy of Science
- 2018 – Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales
- 2019 – Officer of the Order of Australia
- 2022 – Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science
- 2024 – Honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Glasgow
See also
In Spanish: Katherine Belov para niños
