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Michael Kertesz graduated from Monash University as a synthetic organic chemist with an Honors Bachelor of Science. His postgraduate interests shifted towards biology, leading him to undertake a PhD at the University of Cambridge, supervised by Professor Sir Alan Battersby, where he investigated the biosynthesis of chlorophyll and bacteriochlorophyll, graduating in 1989. He subsequently moved to Switzerland for postdoctoral fellowships at ETH Zürich, focusing on bacterial degradation of the herbicide glyphosate and desulfonation of aromatic sulfonate dyestuffs. In 2000, he took a senior lectureship at the University of Manchester, where he expanded his interests in microbial ecology, particularly the effects of nutrient limitation on soil microbial communities. Since joining the University of Sydney in 2009, Kertesz has focused on molecular microbial ecology, studying how bacteria respond to environmental changes, especially in soil and compost contexts. His research involves investigating microbial phosphorus and sulfur metabolism in agricultural soils, exploring fungal-microbe interactions essential for compost production, and conducting detailed molecular studies for mushroom cultivation. He teaches various microbiology courses and has supervised numerous PhD and Master's students in plant biology, microbiology, and environmental projects.
University of Sydney • Sydney, Australia
Teaching and research in soil microbiology and microbial ecology.
University of Manchester • Manchester, UK
Conducted research and taught courses in microbial ecology.
ETH Zürich • Zürich, Switzerland
Focused on bacterial degradation of herbicides.
This entry applies to Faculty of Science PhD programs including Departments such as Life and Environmental Sciences, Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics and Statistics.