Taylor Hibbard
Taylor is currently undertaking his PhD with the Ferrier Research Institute at Victoria University of Wellington – Te Herenga Waka under the supervision of Prof. Emily Parker and Dr. Alistair Richardson. His current research focuses on the genetic and biochemical basis for the biosynthesis of medicinally relevant secondary metabolites in filamentous fungi. Prior to his PhD, Taylor completed his Honours in the Chemical-Genetics lab of Te Herenga Waka under the supervision of Dr. Andrew Munkacsi where he used high-throughput screening of yeast to studying the medicinal properties of cannabinoids.
Together these experiences have allowed him to develop expertise in secondary metabolite biosynthesis and how synthetic biology tools can be used to further explore the chemical space of these compounds, as well as gaining a greater understanding of the therapeutic properties of natural products