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About Alexander
Associate Professor Alexander Idnurm is an Associate Professor (Plant Pathology) in the School of BioSciences, Faculty of Science, at the University of Melbourne, where he serves as Deputy Head of School since 2024. He completed his undergraduate Honours in 1997 and PhD from 1999 to 2002 at the University of Melbourne under the supervision of Barbara Howlett, researching the fungal pathogen Leptosphaeria maculans, which affects canola crops. During his PhD, he conducted studies in the United States on molecular biology of Cactaceae and Gesneriaceae at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and Smithsonian Institution. From 2002 to 2007, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Duke University Medical Center in Joseph Heitman's laboratory, investigating genes in the human pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans required for disease causation and the role of light sensing in fungi such as Phycomyces blakesleeanus. He then held positions as Assistant Professor and tenured Associate Professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City from 2007 to 2014, focusing on light's impact on fungal biology adjacent to the Fungal Genetics Stock Center. In 2014, Idnurm returned to the University of Melbourne as an Australian Research Council Future Fellow, continuing work on plant and human pathogenic fungi and advancing molecular methods for L. maculans research.
Idnurm's research specializes in the molecular biology and genetics of fungi, encompassing plant pathology, medical mycology, evolution, and fungal diseases. His work has produced key publications such as 'Sensitivity of Leptosphaeria maculans to QOI fungicides in Australia' (2026, Pest Management Science), 'First molecular phylogeny of mycoparasitic species of Sphaerellopsis isolated from rust fungi in Australia' (2025, Mycological Progress), 'Multi-locus phylogenetic network analysis of Ampelomyces mycoparasites' (2025, PLOS One), 'Baseline Sensitivity of Leptosphaeria maculans to Succinate Dehydrogenase Inhibitor (SDHI) Fungicides' (2025, Agriculture), and 'Aggressiveness and Phylogenetic Relationships of Fusarium oxysporum Associated with Crown and Root Rot in Pyrethrum Plants' (2025, Plant Disease). With over 10,395 citations on Google Scholar, his contributions have significant impact in mycology and genetics. Awards include the ARC Future Fellowship (2014), election to Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society (2013), Trustees' Faculty Scholar Award (2010, UMKC), Career Service Award (2007, Duke), and Trinity College Medal (1997). He has reviewed for over 100 journals, served on 11 editorial boards and as ad hoc editor for four others, chaired school safety committees, and is an elected member of the USA Fungal Genetics Policy Committee. Idnurm teaches undergraduate and Masters courses accommodating diverse cohort sizes.
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