Personal
- Name
- Dr Douglas Becker
- Position(s)
- Senior Lecturer
Science and Engineering Faculty,
Earth, Environmental and Biological Sciences,
Bioscience - Discipline *
- Crop and Pasture Production, Agricultural Biotechnology, Medical Biotechnology
- Phone
- +61 7 3138 1326
- d.becker@qut.edu.au
- Location
- View location details (QUT staff and student access only)
- Qualifications
-
Doctor of Philosophy (Queensland University of Technology)
- Professional memberships
and associations - Australasian Plant Pathology Society
- International Association for Plant Tissue Culture & Biotechnology
Biography
Research discipline: Cell & Molecular Biosciences
Research program: Tropical Crops & Biocommodities
Research areas
- Optimising bioavailable micronutrients in banana.
- Geminiviruses as transgene expression vectors.
- Transgenic disease resistance in banana.
- Taro regeneration and transformation sytems.
Areas of expertise
- Plant tissue culture
- Somatic embryogenesis
- Transgenesis
Currents grants
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – Optimization of bioavailable nutrients in transgenic bananas
- ARC – Manipulation of apoptosis-related genes to generate novel disease resistance in banana
Selected research projects
- Optimising bioavailable micronutrients in banana
- Geminiviruses as transgene expression vectors
- Transgenic disease resistance in banana
- Taro regeneration and transformation sytems
Teaching
Teaching Discipline: Cell & Molecular Biosciences
Teaching Area: Plant Sciences
Experience
Professional Experience: Doug Becker has more than 15 years experience as a plant biotechnologist in the area of plant tissue culture and plant transformation. He has experience across a wide range of plant species and in particular banana, the basis of a major research focus within the CTCB. Applications of plant biotechnology in which Dr Becker has been involved include disease resistance, transgene expression, biofortification and molecular farming.
Publications
- Walker T, Black D, Becker DK, Dale J, Collet CC, (2005) Isolation and Characterisation of Components of the Dunaliella Tertiolecta Chloroplast Genome, Journal of Applied Phycology p495-508
- Walker T, Becker DK, Dale J, Collet CC, (2005) Towards the Development of a Nuclear Transformation System for Dunaliella Tertiolecta, Journal of Applied Phycology p363-368
- Walker T, Purton S, Becker DK, Collet CC, (2005) Microalgae as Bioreactors, Plant Cell Reports p629-641
- Smith M, Hamill SD, Becker DK, Dale J, (2005) Musa spp. Banana and Plantain, Biotechnology of Fruit and Nut Crops p366-391
- Khanna HK, Becker DK, Kleidon J, Dale J, (2004) Centrifugation Assisted Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated Transformation (CAAT) Embryogenic Cell Suspensions of Banana (Musa spp. Cavendish AAA and Lady finger AAB), Molecular Breeding: new strategies in plant improvement p239-252
- Walker T, Becker DK, Collet CC, (2005) Characterisation of the Dunaliella Tertiolecta RbcS Genes and their Promoter Activity in Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii, Plant Cell Reports p727-735
- Becker DK, Dale J, (2004) Transformation of Banana using Microprojectile Bombardment, Transgenic Crops of the World p131-143
- Becker DK, Smith M, (2004) Somatic Cell Genetics of Banana, Encyclopedia of Plant and Crop Science p1162-1164
- Yang I, Iommarini JP, Becker D, Hafner GJ, Dale J, Harding R, (2003) A Promoter Derived from Taro Bacilliform Badnavirus Drives Strong Expression in Transgenic Banana and Tobacco Plants, Plant Cell Reports p1199-1206
For more publications by this staff member, visit QUT ePrints, the University's research repository.
