Richard Newcomb
Team Leader, Molecular Sensing, Plant & Food Research
Associate Professor, Evolutionary Genetics, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland
Web: www.bioscienceresearch.co.nz/staff/richard-newcomb/
Richard is interested in chemical sensing in animals and evolutionary biology. Current projects include testing whether human genetic variation in odour sensory acuity impacts food preferences, determining the structure and function of insect odorant receptors, invertebrate metagenomics and understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in pheromone evolution and speciation in moths.
Richard conducted his PhD at the CSIRO through the Australian National University. He is currently based at Plant & Food Research in Auckland, New Zealand and is Associate Professor for Evolutionary Genetics at the University of Auckland. He is a Principal Investigator at the Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Evolution and Ecology and an Associate Investigator at the Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery.
While in Lund (October 2012- January 2013) Richard will be working within the Pheromone group to determine the role of desaturases and other proteins involved in pheromone evolution and speciation in moths.
