Katherine Belov | |
|---|---|
 Katherine Belov in 2014 | |
| Born | 1973 (age 50–51) Sydney, Australia |
| Awards | The Australian Institute of Policy and Science (AIPS) Tall Poppy award (2008), Received People's Choice Award, at the 20th Australian Museum Eureka Prizes (2009), Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (2009), Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Research and Innovation, Environmental Research (2011) |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Macquarie University |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | The University of Sydney |
| Main interests | Genetics, genomics, marsupial and monotreme genomics, evolution of the adaptive immune system |
| Notable works | Genetics of Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease |
Katherine Belov (born 1973) is an Australian geneticist, professor of comparative genomics in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences and Pro Vice Chancellor of Global Engagement at the University of Sydney. She is head of the Australasian Wildlife Genomics Group and research expert in the area of comparative genomics and immunogenetics, including Tasmanian devils and koalas, two iconic Australian species that are threatened by disease processes. Throughout her career, she has disproved the idea that marsupial immune system is primitive, characterized the South American gray short-tailed opossum's immune genes, participated in the Platypus Genome Project, led research identifying the properties of platypus venom, and identified the cause of the spread of the Tasmanian devil's contagious cancer.
Belov is an advocate for Women in STEM and leads a research team of largely female students and post-doctoral students.