John Mattick, PhD, has made major contributions to understanding mitochondrial DNA replication (at Monash University), the molecular architecture of the multifunctional enzyme fatty acid synthase (Baylor College of Medicine; featured in most biochemistry textbooks), and the molecular genetics of type IV pili in bacterial pathogens, with the  associated development of one of the world’s first recombinant DNA-based vaccines (CSIRO and the University of Queensland). Over the past 15 years he has focused on noncoding RNA, next generation transcriptomics, and developing a new understanding of RNA-based epigenetic regulation and programming of human development.