Sean J Blamires

PRIMARY INVESTIGATOR

My principal research interest is in the evolution of and mechanisms that induce plasticity in phenotypic and behavioural traits and animal structures.

I use spider orb-webs and silks as a model as they are extended phenotypes that are responsive to the environment at morphological, physiological and biochemical levels.

My aims are to identify the cues used by spiders to elicit variations in their silk and web properties. To achieve these I investigate the role of prey types, nutrients and climatic variables on the physiology, biochemistry and behavioural aspects of spider silk and web production.

I am also interested in understanding the factors that induce spider silk variability across environments because of its potential use in biomimetics.

I have ongoing collaborative research links with Biotechnological and Biomolecular Science, Chemical Engineering, Materials Engineering, the Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre, and Faculty of Art & Design, at UNSW, Tunghai University, Taiwan, RIKEN, Japan, and RWTH Aachen University, Gemany, among others (see collaborators).

I have received funding from the ARC the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW, and the Hermon Slade Foundation.

UNSW RESEARCHERS
Christopher Marquis

School of BABS UNSW https://research.unsw.edu.au/people/associate-professor-christopher-p-marquis

Patrick T Spicer

Chemical Engineering UNSW https://research.unsw.edu.au/people/associate-professor-patrick-spicer

Patricia Flanagan

Faculty of Art & Design UNSW https://artdesign.unsw.edu.au/about-us/our-staff/dr-patricia-flanagan

Mike Kasumovic

CO-INVESTIGATOR

Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, UNSW

Aditya Rawal, Donald Thomas

COLLABORATOR

Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre, UNSW

NMR analyses of silk

Penny Martens

COLLABORATOR

Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, UNSW

Mechanical properties of spider silks

STUDENTS
Anton Maraldo

Creating spider silk proteins using recombinant technology

Shrikar Badri

Hons

Wet spinning of silk dopes UNSW Materials Engineering (Supervised by Damia Mawad)

Ismat Kabbara

Grad. Dip.

Recombinant spider silk development School of BABS (Supervised by C. Marquis)

Hamish Craig

PHD (COMPLETED)

Spider silk biochemical classification

Matthew Hasemore

HONOURS (COMPLETED)

Metabolic and Nutritional mechanisms of spider web plasticity.

Georgia Cerhexe

HONOURS (COMPLETED)

Mechanisms and consequences of colour variation in spider silks.

TUNGHAI UNIVERSITY
I-Min Tso

COLLABORATOR

Spider silk and web plasticity projects

Chen-Pan Liao

Spider silk projects

Dakota Piorkowski

Spider silk projects

RESEARCH COLLABORATORS
Luiz Fernando Garcia

COLLABORATOR

Docente Grado 2, Sección Entomología, Centro Universitario de la Región Este-Universidad de la República, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay Web and silk property variations. Effect of pesticides on webs and silk.

Niall Doran

COLLABORATOR

Zoology, University of Tasmania. Studies of Hickmania troglodytes

Jonas Wolff

COLLABORATOR

Functional Morphology and Biomechanics Unit, University of Kiel. Pyriform silk properties

Mariángeles Lacava

Investigadora Grado2,  Laboratorio de Ecología del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay

Carmen Viera

Jefa del Laboratorio de Ecología del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable-Sección Entomología, Docente Grado 4 Facultad de Ciencias Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay

Marco Antonio Benamú

Docente Grado 3, Laboratorio de Ecotoxicología, Centro Universitario de Rivera-Universidad de la República, Rivera, Uruguay

Xungai Wang

Institute for Frontier Materials Deakin University http://www.deakin.edu.au/ifm

Anna-Christin Joel

Spider cribellate silk projects RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

William Sellers

University of Manchester https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/William.Sellers.html

FORMER COLLABORATORS
Todd Blackledge

COLLABORATOR

University of Akron, USA Spider silk mechanical properties

Ali Dhinojwala

COLLABORATOR

University of Akron, USASpider Spider gluey silk properties

Hwo-Shuenn Sheu

COLLABORATOR

National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Taiwan Synchrotron X-ray diffraction studies

Marie Herberstein

COLLABORATOR

Macquarie University Spider silk colouration analysis

Chung-Lin Wu

National Industrial Technology Research Centre, Taiwan Spider silk mechanical properties

Søren Toft

Aarhus University Denmark Nutritional implications of spider silk property variations

Vasav Sahni

3M Company, USA Spider gluey silk properties

ASSISTANTS
Madeleine Blamires

LABORATORY ASSISTANT

Register your interest in collaborating with the Spider Silk Research Group

For information regarding PhD supervision with UNSW Australia please refer to the following resources and write to the Spider Silk Research Group with expression of your interest, and a description of your background and area of research.

https://research.unsw.edu.au/how-apply-enrol-research-degree

Please refer to the following source for details on enrolling in Honours year at UNSW Australia: http://www.science.unsw.edu.au/research/honours

Expressions of collaboration are welcomed by the Spider Silk Research Group. Please write to the team and provide contact details for further communication.

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