The Team
Rhys Grinter
- Lab Head
Rhys heads the Grinter lab at University of Melbourne in the Bio21 Institute.
Originally from South Australia, Rhys earned his PhD from the University of Glasgow. He relocated to Monash University in 2015 working as a research fellow in labs Prof. Trevor Lithgow and A/Prof. Chris Greening, before founding the independent Grinter lab in 2021.
Rhys has diverse interests in the molecular physiology of bacteria and has strong experience in applying a combination of structural biology, molecular cell biology and chemical biology to resolve important questions in this area.
When not working he enjoys SCUBA diving, Cycling, and teaching his 6.5-year-old daughter how to play Zelda.
Ashleigh Kropp
- PhD Candidate
Ash is a PhD student in the Grinter lab primarily working on elucidating the structure and function of the hydrogenases in Mycobacterium smegmatis. She completed her undergraduate, Honours, and Masters of Philosophy degrees at the University of Melbourne/WEHI, writing her thesis on the structural and functional role of specific human kinases that are involved in numerous cancers. In late 2019, Ash joined the Greening lab at Monash as a research assistant and then began her PhD in the Grinter lab in February 2022. Outside of work, Ash loves yoga and hiking, trashy reality TV and being with her friends.
Daniel Fox
- PhD Candidate
Daniel is a PhD student in the Grinter Lab and researches the biochemical and structural basis of iron piracy in the clinically important human pathogens Haemophilus influenzae and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. He grew up in Canberra and previously completed a Bachelor of Medical Science (Hons.) at the Australian National University looking at host-pathogen interactions before starting at the BDI in late 2021. In his spare time he likes to volunteer on the student microbiology committee, read, go op-shopping, enjoy a good coffee, babysit Ash’s cat Moro and making the most of what Melbourne has to offer.
Fabian Munder
- PhD Candidate
Fabian completed his undergraduate and master’s degrees at the University of Hamburg/EMBL Hamburg in Germany, before joining the Grinter lab as a PhD student in late-2021. He is interested in the structure and function of membrane proteins and his project concerns the beta-barrel assembling BAM complex of Gram-negative bacteria and how to inhibit it with lectin-like bacteriocins. For this, he applies a variety of molecular, biochemical, and structural biology techniques with a focus on single particle cryo-EM.
Imogen Samuels
- PhD Candidate
Imogen is a PhD student who joined the Grinter Lab in mid-2023, investigating the cytotoxic mechanism behind lectin-like bacteriocins in gram-negative bacteria. She completed a Bachelor of Science (Hons.) at The University of Otago in Dunedin, exploring chemical-genetic interactions in Mycobacterium tuberculosis that altered TB drug potency. In her spare time, Imogen enjoys snowboarding, visiting art galleries and exploring new coffee roasters with friends.
Chunxiao (Christina) Wang
- Lab Manager
Chunxiao (Christina) Wang currently serves as the lab manager and research assistant at Grinter Lab. With over 19 years of experience, she has held positions at prestigious institutions including WEHI, Monash University, and the University of Melbourne. Christina holds a master's degree in biomedical engineering and brings extensive expertise in protein research, tissue culture, virus inhibition, and DNA/RNA studies.