Associate Professor L Slade Lee PhD(Wollongong) DipTch(MtGravattTC)
GAppSc(Hons)(QldAgcoll)
Slade Lee is Deputy Director (Operations) for the Centre for Plant Conservation Genetics,
and one of the three Platform Leaders for the Grain Foods CRC Ltd. His principal role is
the management of a series of grain food research projects sponsored by Grain Foods CRC
Ltd aimed at discovering genetic solutions to improving the quality of a diverse range of
grain crop products. He is also involved in smaller plant improvement and genetics
research projects in other fields including grapevine, cotton, hemp and coffee. In 2001
he was invited to serve as a six-month term as a consultant molecular plant breeding
expert with the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria assisting
in the management of projects which convey agricultural biotechnology to developing
countries.
Prior to that he was project leader of the genetic research on Tea Tree and the projects
on Table & Wine Grape Genetics at the Centre for Plant Conservation Genetics. Before
joining the Centre, he led the citrus breeding program of the Queensland Department of
Primary Industries. As Senior Scientist he managed collaborative projects with CSIRO and
other State Agriculture Departments, and research associations with colleagues in USA and
other countries. During this period he built his laboratory at Bundaberg Research Station
into a well-equipped and staffed facility for utilising biotechnology in plant breeding.
He and his staff employed methods including quantitative isozyme densitometry in studies
of citrus polyploids, tissue culturing for embryo rescue and micropropagation, gamma
radiation mutagenesis for citrus breeding, polymerase chain reaction and the random
amplified polymorphic DNA technique for marker-assisted tomato breeding. Concurrently
Slade became associated with Central Queensland University as supervisor of post-doctoral
research and postgraduate students working in his laboratory, and later as a visiting
lecturer at the University's Bundaberg Campus.
Early in 1997, Slade accepted an Associate Professorship in the Centre for Plant
Conservation Genetics at Southern Cross University, Lismore, to lead a team of field
biologists, laboratory technicians and molecular biologists in a very detailed genetic
study of the tea tree species used for commercial essential oil production. This work
entailed development of DNA microsatellite markers and use of gas chromatography to study
the genetic and phenotypic structure of the tea tree population throughout the entire
known range of the species.
In 1998 he also assumed the role of project leader of the grape genetics projects which
involved a team of scientists at the Centre for Plant Conservation Genetics working to
genetically improve table grapes and wine grapes. The methods in use included DNA
microsatellite marker technology, development of cDNA libraries and BAC libraries for the
identification and characterisation of specific expressed grape genes, tissue culturing
and transformation to introduce novel genes into grapevines.
In his current role as Research Manager, Slade also assists the Centre's Business
Manager to facilitate the development and commercialisation of the Centre's
substantial suite of expertise, technology and intellectual property in plant genetics,
biotechnology and molecular biology.
Journal Articles
Book Chapters
Conference Publications
