Dr Kari Gobius, Acting Theme Leader, Enhanced Food Benefit and Safety.

Dr Kari Gobius: enhancing the food that we eat

Dr Kari Gobius leads a team that conducts scientific research on food safety, consumer acceptance and consumption of food and the effects of nutrition on genetic health.

• 12 February 2010 | Updated 14 October 2011

• Current activities 
• Background
• Academic qualifications
• Achievements 

Current activities

Dr Kari Gobius is currently the Acting Theme Leader of the Enhanced Food Benefit and Safety theme within CSIRO Food and Nutritional Sciences.

The theme is working towards assuring the production and consumption of food which is both healthy and safe.

The theme outputs result in benefit to both consumers and government with respect to improved public health, and to industry with respect to market access.

Background

Since the completion of his doctorate in 1989, Dr Gobius completed Postdoctoral Research Fellowships at the University of Maryland, USA, and at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

In 1991, Dr Gobius commenced at CSIRO, where he has now worked for the past 18 years.

At CSIRO, Dr Gobius first conducted research with anaerobic rumen bacteria, using genetic modification to improve their ability to digest pasture fibre.

In 1999, he moved to Food Science Australia (now known as CSIRO Food and Nutritional Sciences).

While serving as Theme Leader, Dr Gobius also continues in active research as a molecular microbiologist, advancing knowledge, understanding and control of bacterial foodborne pathogens.

His current research is directed to understand how bacterial pathogens in the foodchain acquire and maintain the genetic components which define their pathogenicity.

Using the tools of molecular biology, genomics, metagenomics and bioinformatics, knowledge of the distinctive properties of foodborne pathogens is developed to allow rapid and specific identification and novel intervention & control strategies.

Academic qualifications

Dr Gobius has been awarded a Bachelor of Science (Honours) and a Doctor of Philosophy in Bacterial Genetics from the University of Queensland.

Achievements

Dr Gobius has published widely in peer-reviewed journals and been an invited speaker at national and international conferences.

Dr Gobius previously served as Deputy Director and Science Program Manager of the Australian Food Safety Centre of Excellence (2006–07) and as Research Group Leader for Food Microbiology and Safety.

Find out more about  CSIRO Food & Nutritional Sciences.