Collaborators in this interdisciplinary research residency are artist and researcher Dr Helen Pynor, genomics bioinformatician Dr Jimmy Breen, and legal scholar and bioethicist Dr Carolyn Johnston.
Dr Helen Pynor
Helen is an Artist and Researcher whose practice explores philosophically and experientially ambiguous zones, such as the life-death boundary. Drawing on her dual backgrounds in Art and Molecular Biology her work is informed by in-depth residencies in scientific institutions, such as The Francis Crick Institute, London, and The Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden. Helen’s work has been exhibited widely internationally including at FACT – Foundation for Art and Creative Technology, Liverpool UK; The National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts; and ISEA. Helen has received an Honorary Mention at Prix Ars Electronica and national awards in Australia.
Dr Jimmy Breen
Jimmy is a Computational Biologist who leads the Bioinformatics Core Team at South Australian Genomics Centre (SAGC), based at South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI). The team develop computational tools and workflows to enable researchers to analyse large genomics datasets. Jimmy is also Group Leader in Computational Biology at the Robinson Research Institute and manages a research group that investigates clinical cancer genomic sequencing, epigenetic and structural gene regulation using multi-omic datasets, with a primary focus on reproductive systems such as the human placenta and the early adaptive immune network.
Dr Carolyn Johnston
Carolyn is Research Fellow at University of Tasmania, contributing to the Returning Raw Genomic Data: Patient Autonomy or Legal Minefield? Project, and holds an honorary appointment (Senior Fellow, Law) with Melbourne University. Carolyn’s research interests include end of life decision making, emerging health technologies, and sharing of genetic information. Carolyn is Clinical Ethicist at Monash Children’s Hospital, Melbourne and is co-author of the textbook 100 Cases in Clinical Ethics and Law (2016, CRC Press). She is currently providing academic input into the 2020-2021 ANAT (Australian Network for Art and Technology) / SAHMRI (South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute) Artist-in-Residency.