Rate My Professor Joel Mackay

A physical biochemist, Professor Mackay specializes in protein structure, function, and engineering, with a primary focus on the molecular mechanisms of gene regulation. His research employs structural biology approaches, including NMR spectroscopy, to study processes such as chromatin remodeling by CHD4, nucleosome composition and dynamics, bromodomain-nucleosome interactions, zinc finger proteins, and the discovery of high-affinity peptide ligands via mRNA display for potential therapeutic applications in cancer and other diseases. He has authored over 300 peer-reviewed publications, accumulating approximately 14,000 citations, with 195 papers noted in his profile, 87% of which appear in the top 10% of journals. Notable works include 'mRNA display reveals a class of high-affinity bromodomain-binding motifs that are not found in the human proteome' (2023), 'The BRD4-nucleosome interaction is enhanced modestly and non-selectively by histone acetylation' (2025), 'The structure and composition of native human nucleosomes' (2025), and 'Macrocyclic peptides as a new class of targeted protein degraders' (2025). Professor Mackay has received extensive funding, including ARC Discovery Projects such as $913,638 in 2025 for investigating how cells turn genes on and off, $780,618 in 2023 for chromatin remodeler CHD4 studies, $435,000 in 2022 for histone variant effects on gene expression, and $829,000 in 2021 for mRNA display in cancer treatment; additionally, a $1.1 million NHMRC grant in 2023. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Biological Chemistry and contributes to teaching and student supervision.