1340254
Professor Mark Harrison
Faculty of Engineering,
School of Mech., Medical & Process Engineering
Biography
Mark Harrison is a Professor of Sustainable Agriculture and Manufacturing in the School of Mechanical, Medical, and Process Engineering at Queensland University of Technology, in Brisbane, Australia. Mark has extensive basic, applied, and commercial research experience, and his research is focused on conversion of agricultural wastes and residues into more valuable food, feed, fibre, fine chemical, and fuel products. His current research projects include fibre modification to enhance digestibility in ruminants and non-ruminants, production of soluble sugar products from plant biomass, production of single cell protein using crop residues as substrates, isolation of natural plant products, bioactives, and nutraceuticals, and biomass pretreatment chemistry. Mark obtained an undergraduate degree in biochemistry from the University of Queensland in 1992. He completed his PhD (2001) at the University of Queensland, researching the molecular mechanisms by which cells transport, store, and detoxify essential metal ions. He then undertook post-doctoral work at Newcastle University (Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK) in the laboratories of Professors Nigel Robinson and Christopher Dennison, researching the biological chemistry of metalloproteins and their role in essential metal ion homeostasis. Mark returned to Australia in 2003 and was awarded a 3-year Queensland State Government Smart State Fellowship in 2004 to produce enzymes in a model plant. The development of this technology in sugarcane was a key part of the $3.8 million research collaboration between Syngenta, one of the world’s largest integrated agribusiness companies, and QUT. He has also lead research projects on integration of transgenic sugarcane into the global sugarcane production system, understanding protein stability under extreme conditions, and practical integration of enzymes into industrial systems.Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Personal details
Positions
- Professor
Faculty of Engineering,
School of Mech., Medical & Process Engineering
Keywords
Agriculture, Upcycling, Enzymology, Functional fibre, Animal nutrition, Protein chemistry, Microbial ecology, Nutraceuticals, Solid state fermentation, Bioeconomy
Research field
Industrial biotechnology, Agricultural biotechnology, Animal production
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2020
Qualifications
- Ph.d Biochemistry (University of Queensland)
Experience
Professional Experience:
- 2024 to present Professor of Sustainable Agriculture and Manufacturing, School of Mechanical, Medical, and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
- 2022 to present Non-Executive member of the Executive Committee of The Leucaena Network
- 2020 to 2023 Associate Professor, School of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science
- 2019 to present Inaugural QUT representative on the North Australia Beef Research Council
- 2015 to 2020 Senior Lecturer, School of Earth, Environmental, and Biological Sciences, Queensland University of Technology.
- 2008 to 2020 Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, Queensland University of Technology.
- 2004 to 2008 Research Fellow, Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, Queensland University of Technology.
- 2002 to 2003 Postdoctoral Research Associate, School of Natural Sciences, University of Newcastle (UK).
- 1999 to 2001 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Institute of Cell and Molecular Biosciences, University of Newcastle (UK).
Publications
Research outputs by year
- Book
- Chapter in Book / Report / Conference Proceeding
- Contribution to a Journal
- Verbeek, C., Yapa, P., Self, R. & Harrison, M. (2023). Producing Blends of Polybutylene Adipate Terephthalate and Blood Meal That Are Safe to Render. Polymers, 15(18). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/243925
- Self, R., Harrison, M., Te'o, J. & Van Sluyter, S. (2022). Development of simple, scalable protease production from Botrytis cinerea. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 106(5-6), 2219–2233. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/228923
- Strong, J., Self, R., Allikian, K., Szewczyk, E., Speight, R., O'Hara, I. & Harrison, M. (2022). Filamentous fungi for future functional food and feed. Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 76 . https://eprints.qut.edu.au/230871
- Amini, Z., Self, R., Strong, J., Speight, R., O'Hara, I. & Harrison, M. (2022). Valorization of sugarcane biorefinery residues using fungal biocatalysis. Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, 12(3). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/210100
- Zhang, P., Liu, S., Zhao, Z., You, L., Harrison, M. & Zhang, Z. (2021). Enzymatic acylation of cyanidin-3-glucoside with fatty acid methyl esters improves stability and antioxidant activity. Food Chemistry, 343. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/206076
- Du, G., Shi, J., Zhang, J., Ma, Z., Liu, X., Yuan, C., Zhang, B., Zhang, Z. & Harrison, M. (2021). Exogenous probiotics improve fermentation quality, microflora phenotypes, and trophic modes of fermented vegetable waste for animal feed. Microorganisms, 9(3), 1–18. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/209203
- Khatun, M., Hassanpour, M., Harrison, M., Speight, R., O'Hara, I. & Zhang, Z. (2021). Highly efficient production of transfructosylating enzymes using low-cost sugarcane molasses by A. pullulans FRR 5284. Bioresources and Bioprocessing, 8. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/212163
- Ramirez, J., McCabe, B., Jensen, P., Speight, R., Harrison, M., van den Berg, L. & O'Hara, I. (2021). Wastes to profit: a circular economy approach to value-addition in livestock industries. Animal Production Science, 61(6), 541–550. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/208027
- Dam, T., Ainscough, R., Palfreyman, R., Cao, L., Harrison, M., O'Hara, I., Speight, R. & Gebbie, L. (2020). A snapshot of microbial diversity and function in an undisturbed sugarcane bagasse pile. BMC Biotechnology, 20.
- Khatun, M., Harrison, M., Speight, R., O'Hara, I. & Zhang, Z. (2020). Efficient production of fructo-oligosaccharides from sucrose and molasses by a novel Aureobasidium pullulan strain. Biochemical Engineering Journal, 163. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/203784
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Mark, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Awards
- Type
- Appointment to State/National/International Reference Group or Government Committees
- Reference year
- 2019
- Details
- The North Australia Beef Research Council provides leadership and advice to organisations who either invest in, or undertake beef cattle research, development and extension (RD&E) in Queensland, the Northern Territory and the Pilbara and Kimberley regions of Western Australia. NABRC is an independent organisation made up of producer representatives, research organisations and education providers. NABRC does not fund RD&E, nor employ any RD&E personnel. Rather, its role is to influence the RD&E agenda. NABRC helps ensure that innovation and learning in the northern beef industry addresses industry¿s priority issues.
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2018
- Details
- Vice-Chancellors Award for Excellence ¿ Research, Learning & Teaching, Partnerships & Engagement (Nomination). The nomination for Excellence in Teaching originated in the Faculty of Science and Engineering. The nominations for Excellence in Research and Learning & Teaching originated in the Institute for Future Environments.
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2016
- Details
- Vice-Chancellors Performance Award - Excellence in Research
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2016
- Details
- Vice-Chancellors Performance Award for Excellence in Teaching
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2007
- Details
- Dr Harrison was awarded one of the three inaugural Early Career Researcher Bio2007 Fellowships. This fellowship provided full funding (registration, travel and accommodation) for Dr Harrison to attend Bio2007 in Boston, USA.
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2006
- Details
- A Smart State Fellowship was awarded to Dr Mark Harrison by the Queensland State Government to pursue a research project entitled "Switching on enzymes to break down sugarcane waste for fermentation to bioethanol". This grant provides a total of $100,000 per year for three years to Dr Harrison; $50,000 per year is provided by the Queensland State Government Department of State Development and Trade, $25,000 per year is provided by QUT and $25,000 per year is provided by Farmacule Pty Ltd.
Selected research projects
- Title
- Phase 3 Mackay Renewable Biocommodities Pilot Plant - Enhancing Australia's ability to scale novel food ingredients
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- Start year
- 2023
- Keywords
- Title
- Biorefineries for Profit - Phase 2 (RnD4Profit 18-04-016 | 2019/902) (4207/4395)
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- 4-BA20OPM
- Start year
- 2019
- Keywords
- Agriculture; Bioproducts; Biorefinery; Diversification; Value Chain
- Title
- Wastes to Profits: Value Propositions for Better Management of Wastes in Animal Industry Supply Chains
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- V.RDP.3010
- Start year
- 2018
- Keywords
Projects listed above are funded by Australian Competitive Grants. Projects funded from other sources are not listed due to confidentiality agreements.
Supervision
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Current supervisions
- Australian Ganoderma: capacity for production of high-value, bioactive compounds
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr James Strong - Development of Pickering Emulsions Using Biomass-Derived Nanoparticles for Biocatalysis applications
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Morteza Hassanpour, Professor YuanTong Gu - Giant Rat Tail grass as a novel grain source for human consumption
MPhil, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Jolieke van der Pols, Professor Peter Prentis, Dr Satomi Hayashi
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
- Production and Evaluation of Tailored Thermostable Enzyme Mixtures for Hydrolysis of Lignocellulose to Fermentable Sugars (2024)
- Biotransformation of Low-Value Sugarcane Molasses to High-Value Fructooligosaccharides as Functional Feed Prebiotics (2022)
- Microbial colonisation of low-quality fodders in the bovine rumen (2022)
- Development of New Enzymes and Microbial Cells for the Enhancement of Livestock Feeds Based on Sugarcane Fibre (2021)
- The Conversion of Cotton Gin Waste into Pharmaceutical Precursors and Value-added Chemicals (2021)
- Transformation of Sugarcane Biorefinery Feedstocks into Fungal Protein (2021)
- Defining the role of phytoene synthase in carotenoid accumulation of high provitamin A bananas (2010)
Completed supervisions (Masters by Research)
The supervisions listed above are only a selection.