Mr Evan Gibbs
Research Assistant
School of Environmental and Life Sciences (Biological Sciences)
Career Summary
Biography
Evan is a microbial biotechnologist and PhD candidate at the University of Newcastle, researching cadaverine synthesis in engineered Escherichia coli. His expertise spans microbial metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, and industrial biotechnology, with a focus on leveraging native microbial communities for sustainable bio-industrial processes.
Evan leads the Wild Yeast Zoo team, a biotech venture dedicated to harnessing Australian native yeasts for circular economy applications, including biofuel production, bioplastics, cosmetics and functional biomaterials. His research integrates high-throughput genomics, multi-omics approaches, and transcriptional control systems to engineer microbial systems for industrial sustainability.
His collaborations with the ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology and the Australian Genome Foundry have driven innovations in genome-scale metabolic modelling, TraDISort applications, and automated yeast engineering platforms. He has also played a pivotal role in securing competitive research funding, including grants from BioPlatforms Australia, The ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, CSIRO ON, the Australian Economic Accelerator, the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and Inspire Australia, to support research in microbial biotechnology.
Evan is an experienced educator and mentor, serving as Course Coordinator for a Business of Brewing course and advising iGEM and synthetic biology student teams. He is also actively involved in science outreach, leading Wild Yeast Zoo’s citizen science initiatives and public engagement programs at events such as the Woodford Folk Festival.
Beyond academia, Evan contributes to the Australian Society of Microbiology (ASM) as Secretary of the Biofilm Special Interest Group and is a committee member for the Australian Society of Microbiology (ASM) NSW/ACT branch. His work at the intersection of synthetic biology, industrial sustainability, and commercial innovation is shaping the next generation of bio-manufacturing solutions.
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Science, University of Newcastle
- Certificate IV in Laboratory Techniques, TAFE (NSW)
Keywords
- Microbiology
- Molecular Biology
- Synthetic Biology
Fields of Research
| Code | Description | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 310113 | Synthetic biology | 40 |
| 310602 | Bioprocessing, bioproduction and bioproducts | 20 |
| 310705 | Mycology | 5 |
| 310701 | Bacteriology | 15 |
| 310704 | Microbial genetics | 20 |
Publications
For publications that are currently unpublished or in-press, details are shown in italics.
Chapter (1 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 |
Matthews B, Gibbs E, Cain A, Hassan K, Lean C, 'Transdisciplinarity and the Role of Creative Industries in Science and Technology Research Teams', 11-26 (2025) [B1]
|
|||||||
Grants and Funding
Summary
| Number of grants | 4 |
|---|---|
| Total funding | $601,426 |
Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.
20251 grants / $200,546
Wild Yeast Zoo$200,546
Funding body: Department of Education
| Funding body | Department of Education |
|---|---|
| Project Team | Associate Professor Karl Hassan, Associate Professor Karl Hassan, Doctor Benjamin Matthews, Mr Evan Gibbs, Ms Claudia Bruinsma, Cprof PETER Lewis, Professor Ian Paulsen, David Ireland |
| Scheme | Australia's Economic Accelerator (AEA) Ignite |
| Role | Investigator |
| Funding Start | 2025 |
| Funding Finish | 2025 |
| GNo | G2401256 |
| Type Of Funding | C1500 - Aust Competitive - Commonwealth Other |
| Category | 1500 |
| UON | Y |
20241 grants / $374,330
A high-throughput platform to inform biocatalyst optimization$374,330
Funding body: U.S. Department of Defense
| Funding body | U.S. Department of Defense |
|---|---|
| Project Team | Associate Professor Karl Hassan, Dr Amy Cain, Mr Evan Gibbs, Doctor Benjamin Matthews, Professor Ian Paulsen |
| Scheme | Research Interests of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research |
| Role | Investigator |
| Funding Start | 2024 |
| Funding Finish | 2026 |
| GNo | G2400928 |
| Type Of Funding | C3700 – International Govt – Own Purpose |
| Category | 3700 |
| UON | Y |
20231 grants / $4,050
Wild Yeast Zoo Performance Bonus$4,050
Funding body: CSIRO - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
| Funding body | CSIRO - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation |
|---|---|
| Project Team | Doctor Benjamin Matthews, Dr Amy Cain, Mr Evan Gibbs, Associate Professor Karl Hassan, Chris Lean |
| Scheme | ON Prime |
| Role | Investigator |
| Funding Start | 2023 |
| Funding Finish | 2023 |
| GNo | G2300353 |
| Type Of Funding | C2100 - Aust Commonwealth – Own Purpose |
| Category | 2100 |
| UON | Y |
20221 grants / $22,500
Wild Yeast Zoo$22,500
Funding body: ARC (Australian Research Council)
| Funding body | ARC (Australian Research Council) |
|---|---|
| Project Team | Doctor Benjamin Matthews, Mr Evan Gibbs, Associate Professor Karl Hassan, Chris Lean, Dr Amy Cain |
| Scheme | ARC Centres of Excellence |
| Role | Investigator |
| Funding Start | 2022 |
| Funding Finish | 2022 |
| GNo | G2201223 |
| Type Of Funding | C1200 - Aust Competitive - ARC |
| Category | 1200 |
| UON | Y |
Mr Evan Gibbs
Position
Research Assistant
School of Environmental and Life Sciences
College of Engineering, Science and Environment
Focus area
Biological Sciences
Contact Details
| evan.gibbs@newcastle.edu.au |