Joanne Lee
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About
Joanne graduated from the ANU with a Bachelor of Science and completed a Master of Applied Science (Microscopy and Microanalysis) at the University of Sydney in 2010. During her Master’s research project, she investigated how actin cytoskeleton-associated proteins influence the formation of actin-based membrane protrusions involved in breast cancer cell invasion and migration.
In 2011, Joanne joined the CAM as a Biological Microscopist, initially supporting TEM operations for biological sample and managing the life science laboratory. She later expanded her expertise to become a Life Science Electron Microscopy Specialist, supporting a broad range of electron microscopy applications including TEM, SEM, CLEM, and cryoTEM, including sample preparation workflows and instrument operation.
Joanne completed her PhD at the ANU in 2026. Her research focused on lipid storage and trafficking mechanisms in Plasmodium falciparum.
She has a strong interest in understanding the structural complexity of cells and has been involved in developing novel sample preparation and microscopy approaches to investigate cellular architecture.
Affiliations
Research interests
Research interests
Joanne has a particular interest in the complexity of cells and has been involved in developing various novel sample preparation and microscopy techniques to investigate and decipher cell structures and cellular machinery.
Joanne’s current academic research focuses on developing a method to investigate intracellular lipid storage and dynamics in various life cycle stages of Plasmodium falciparum.
Publications
Selected publications
Lee, J., Matuschewski, K., van Dooren, G., Maier, A. G., & Rug, M. (2024). Lipid droplet dynamics are essential for the development of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Journal of cell science, 137(20), jcs262162. https://doi.org/10.1242/jcs.262162
Zang, K., Hong, X., Nguyen, N. D., Rourke, L. M., Lee, J., Long, B. M., Price, G. D., & Hayer-Hartl, M. (2026). Stages of biomolecular condensate formation in pro-β-carboxysome assembly. Nature plants, 12(2), 447–464. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-026-02227-6
Gao, X., McNamara, H. A., Lee, J., Lo, A. F., Chatterjee, D., Spensberger, D., Fernandez-Ruiz, D., Walz, K., Wang, K., Kelly, H. G., Pohl, K., Carreira, P. E., Do, A., Xiong, L., Beattie, L., Spencer, A. J., Gray, D. H. D., Frischknecht, F., Rug, M., & Cockburn, I. A. (2025). B cells targeting parasites capture spatially linked antigens to secure T cell help. Science immunology, 10(113), eadw0415. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciimmunol.adw0415
Ningtyas, D. C., Leitner, F., Sohail, H., Thong, Y. L., Hicks, S. M., Ali, S., Drew, M., Javed, K., Lee, J., Kenangalem, E., Poespoprodjo, J. R., Anstey, N. M., Rug, M., Choi, P. Y., Kho, S., Gardiner, E. E., & McMorran, B. J. (2024). Platelets mediate the clearance of senescent red blood cells by forming prophagocytic platelet-cell complexes. Blood, 143(6), 535–547. https://doi.org/10.1182/blood.2023021611
Mathur, A., Kay, C., Xue, Y., Pandey, A., Lee, J., Jing, W., Enosi Tuipulotu, D., Lo Pilato, J., Feng, S., Ngo, C., Zhao, A., Shen, C., Rug, M., Miosge, L. A., Atmosukarto, I. I., Price, J. D., Ali, S. A., Gardiner, E. E., Robertson, A. A., Awad, M. M., … Man, S. M. (2023). Clostridium perfringens virulence factors are nonredundant activators of the NLRP3 inflammasome. EMBO reports, 24(6), e54600. https://doi.org/10.15252/embr.202254600
Enosi Tuipulotu, D., Feng, S., Pandey, A., Zhao, A., Ngo, C., Mathur, A., Lee, J., Shen, C., Fox, D., Xue, Y., Kay, C., Kirkby, M., Lo Pilato, J., Kaakoush, N. O., Webb, D., Rug, M., Robertson, A. A., Tessema, M. B., Pang, S., Degrandi, D., … Man, S. M. (2023). Immunity against Moraxella catarrhalis requires guanylate-binding proteins and caspase-11-NLRP3 inflammasomes. The EMBO journal, 42(6), e112558. https://doi.org/10.15252/embj.2022112558