Rate My Professor Suzanne Benjes

Dr. Suzanne Benjes serves as a Research Adviser in the Research and Enterprise Office at the University of Otago, Christchurch campus. In this role, she provides essential support to researchers across several departments, including MIHI, the Dean's Department, Surgery and Critical Care, Pathology and Biomedical Science, Primary Care, and Clinical Simulation. Her responsibilities encompass assisting with contestable funding applications, collaborative grant proposals, and the negotiation and management of research contracts once funding is secured. This position enables her to contribute significantly to the research ecosystem at the University of Otago by facilitating funding opportunities and ensuring smooth administrative processes for research projects. Dr. Benjes holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Canterbury and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Otago, awarded in 2002. Her doctoral work was conducted in the Department of Pathology and Biomedical Science, where her thesis, titled 'BCR-ABL1 Recombination Mechanisms in Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia: Clues from Complexity,' was supervised by Vicky Cameron and Christine M. Morris.

Prior to her current administrative role, Dr. Benjes was affiliated with the Cancer Genetics Research Group at the Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Otago. Her research focused on genetic mechanisms in leukemias, particularly chromosomal rearrangements and retrotransposon activity. Notable publications include 'A full-length and potentially active LINE element is integrated very close to the breakpoint junction in a chronic myeloid leukemia case with a derivative chromosome 9' published in Human Genetics in 2001, and 'Translocation (5;10)(q22;q24) in a case of acute lymphoblastic leukemia' in Cancer Genetics and Cytogenetics in 2006. She has also contributed encyclopedia entries on BCR-ABL1 recombination and LINE-1 elements. These works have provided insights into breakpoint complexity and the role of mobile genetic elements in cancer. In recognition of her team's outstanding support to research, Dr. Benjes and her colleagues in the UOC Research and Enterprise Team received acknowledgement at the University of Otago Christchurch Matariki Staff Value Awards. Through her dual expertise in research and administration, Dr. Benjes continues to impact the academic field in health sciences.