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Marcus Heisler is an Associate Professor in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Sydney. He is a developmental biologist with a significant focus on pattern formation in plants. He completed his undergraduate honors degree at the University of Melbourne and pursued his PhD at Monash University under the mentorship of Professor David Smyth, where he studied flower development. He subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in the lab of Elliot Meyerowitz, investigating phyllotaxis and the role of the plant hormone auxin in cell polarity. Heisler has initiated pioneering research enabling live imaging of plant shoot apices. His accomplishments include serving as a Senior Research Associate at Caltech, before leading an Australian group at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, where he was awarded a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) starting grant worth 1.5 million Euros over five years. In 2017, he returned to Australia to take a position at SOLES, where he has been involved in collaborative projects that have received significant grants, including an ERC Synergy grant worth $17 million. His lab's research is focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms of developmental patterning in plants, specifically how cells coordinate to form organs and structures, and involves advanced molecular biology methods along with high-resolution imaging.
University of Sydney • Sydney, Australia
Leading research in developmental biology and pattern formation in plants.
European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) • Heidelberg, Germany
Focused on plant developmental biology and awarded European Research Council starting grant.
California Institute of Technology (Caltech) • California, USA
Studied phyllotaxis and initiated research on auxin and cell polarity.
This entry applies to Faculty of Science PhD programs including Departments such as Life and Environmental Sciences, Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics and Statistics.