Murray Badger

Group membership

Murray Badger is a native Australian, completing his BSc Agr at the University of Sydney and PhD in Plant Biochemistry at ANU in Canberra. He subsequently spent time as a postdoctoral researcher at the Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Plant Biology at Stanford (USA) before returning to Australia as a Queen Elizabeth II Research Fellow and has subsequently has spent most of his academic career at The Australian National University. He was appointed to Professor in 1998 and has served in a number of administrative roles as Head of the Departments of Environmental Biology and Molecular Plant Physiology, Research Program Leader in the CRC for Plant Sciences, the Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, and is leading the development of the new Australian Plant Phenomics Facility node at ANU.

As recognition for his research in Plant Sciences in Australia he was awarded the Peter Goldacre Medal (1982), is listed as one of the most highly cited researchers in Plant and Animal Sciences in Australia by ISI and was elected as Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 2008. In 2009 he was elected as a corresponding member to the American Society of Plant Biologists.

Research interests

His major research interests are in the genetics, evolution, biochemistry and physiology of efficient mechanisms for photosynthetic CO2 fixation in plants, algae and cyanobacteria. This includes studies of the CO2 fixing enzyme Rubisco and the operation of photosynthetic CO2 concentrating mechanisms. Additionally, he is interested in understanding the controls which operate associated with leaf and chloroplast development to determine photosynthetic capacity.

Selected publications

  • Cyanobacterial Carboxysomes: Microcompartments that Facilitate CO2 Fixation. Author(s): Rae, Benjamin D.; Long, Benedict M.; Whitehead, Lynne F.; et al.. Source: Journal of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology Volume: 23 Issue: 4-5 Pages: 300-307 Published: 2013. DOI: 10.1159/000351342
  • D2O Solvent Isotope Effects Suggest Uniform Energy Barriers in Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate Carboxylase/Oxygenase Catalysis. Author(s): Tcherkez, Guillaume G. B.; Bathellier, Camille; Stuart-Williams, Hilary; et al.. Source: Biochemistry Volume: 52 Issue: 5 Pages: 869-877 Published: FEB 5 2013. DOI: 10.1021/bi300933u
  • Gymnosperms Have Increased Capacity for Electron Leakage to Oxygen (Mehler and PTOX reactions) in Photosynthesis Compared with Angiosperms. Author(s): Shirao, Masayoshi; Kuroki, Shu; Kaneko, Kaoru; et al.. Source: Plant and Cell Physiology Volume: 54 Issue: 7 Pages: 1152-1163 Published: JUL 2013. DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pct066
  • The cyanobacterial CCM as a source of genes for improving photosynthetic CO2 fixation in crop species. Author(s): Price, G. Dean; Pengelly, Jasper J. L.; Forster, Britta; et al.. Source: Journal of Experimental Botany Volume: 64 Issue: 3 Pages: 753-768 Published: JAN 2013. DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ers257
  • Thermal Acclimation of the Symbiotic Alga Symbiodinium spp. Alleviates Photobleaching under Heat Stress. Author(s): Takahashi, Shunichi; Yoshioka-Nishimura, Miho; Nanba, Daisuke; et al.. Source: Plant Physiology Volume: 161 Issue: 1 Pages: 477-485 Published: JAN 2013. DOI: 10.1104/pp.112.207480
  • Antisense reductions in the PsbO protein of photosystem II leads to decreased quantum yield but similar maximal photosynthetic rates. Author(s): Dwyer, Simon A.; Chow, Wah Soon; Yamori, Wataru; et al.. Source: Journal of Experimental Botany Volume: 63 Issue: 13 Pages: 4781-4795 Published: AUG 2012. DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ers156
  • Structural Determinants of the Outer Shell of beta-Carboxysomes in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942: Roles for CcmK2, K3-K4, CcmO, and CcmL. Author(s): Rae, Benjamin D.; Long, Benedict M.; Badger, Murray R.; et al.. Source: Plos One Volume: 7 Issue: 8 Published: AUG 22 2012. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0043871
  • The Genetic Dissection of a Short-Term Response to Low CO2 Supports the Possibility for Peroxide-Mediated Decarboxylation of Photorespiratory Intermediates in the Peroxisome. Author(s): Keech, Olivier; Zhou, Wenxu; Fenske, Ricarda; et al.. Source: Molecular Plant Volume: 5 Issue: 6 Pages: 1413-1416 Published: NOV 2012. DOI: 10.1093/mp/sss104
  • A mutation in the purine biosynthetic enzyme ATASE2 impacts high light signalling and acclimation responses in green and chlorotic sectors of Arabidopsis leaves. Author(s): Woo, Nick S.; Gordon, Matthew J.; Graham, Stephen R.; et al.. Source: Functional Plant Biology Volume: 38 Issue: 5 Pages: 401-419 Published: 2011. DOI: 10.1071/FP10218
  • Over-expression of the beta-carboxysomal CcmM protein in Synechococcus PCC7942 reveals a tight co-regulation of carboxysomal carbonic anhydrase (CcaA) and M58 content. Author(s): Long, Benedict M.; Rae, Benjamin D.; Badger, Murray R.; et al.. Source: Photosynthesis Research Volume: 109 Issue: 1-3 Pages: 33-45 Published: SEP 2011. DOI: 10.1007/s11120-011-9659-8.

All publications