Board & Management

Mr Rombola has over 30 years’ corporate and financial experience in Australia, Asia and the United Kingdom. He spent 19 years in senior positions with Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank, including 7 years in the role of Managing Director. Mr Rombola is a current Non-executive Director of Audeara Limited, a leading hearing health company (ASX: AUA), he is the Chair of Advantage Agriculture Pty Ltd, a private agribusiness company. He was also formerly the Chair and Director of Helix Resources Limited (ASX: HLX). Mr Rombola holds a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Western Australia.

Professor Frazer is a world-renowned and internationally educated clinician scientist and clinical immunologist, who uses his expertise and reputation to advise and drive Microba’s mission of powering medical innovation forward. As co-inventor of the technology behind internationally utilised cancer-preventing HPV vaccines Gardasil and Cervarix, Professor Frazer is a leader in translating research into useful clinical outcomes. Bringing more than 40 years’ experience to Microba’s Medical Advisory Board, he is well placed to advise on the company’s therapeutics and diagnostics programs, sit as Deputy Chairman of the Board and to advocate for unmet clinical needs in the IBD space. His expertise is communicated across hundreds of primary and co-authored journal articles and he continues to work on new vaccine technologies as the Head of the Cancer Immunology Group at UQ . He is the former Director of Research at the Translational Research Institute in Brisbane and is currently a Professor at The University of Queensland (UQ), making him a leader in Australian research and clinical translation. Professor Frazer is internationally respected, with qualifications from the University of Melbourne and the University of Edinburgh.

Professor Gene Tyson is a well-respected microbial ecologist as well as the Co-founder of Microba and head of microbiome research at the Queensland University of Technology, with an international education. His expertise and pioneering of metagenomic sequencing in the role of the human microbiome ensures that he is best placed to guide the strategic direction of Microba’s science. Professor Tyson is an expert in the development and application of culture-independent molecular approaches for studying microbial communities and has published extensively in the field of microbiology, including 12 publications in Science and Nature. He received his PhD in community genomics from the University of California at Berkeley in 2006 and went on to complete postdoctoral studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) before returning to Queensland in 2010. Recognising the potential of metagenomics to uncover the role of the human microbiome in health and disease, Professor Tyson co-founded Microba with Professor Philip Hugenholtz in 2017 and remains a key advisor and advocate for Microba’s research and development programs and product development. He was recognised on the Highly Cited Researchers list by the Web of Science in 2019 and 2020.

Mr Bund is an experienced businessman and Chartered Accountant, with more than 20 years of experience in accounting and corporate finance. As a Director of Tilbrook Rasheed Chartered Accountants and Director of several private Australian companies, he brings a wealth of corporate experience to the Microba Life Science Board. Richard enjoys helping small businesses grow and whilst he has specific expertise in property and construction, he has a passion for health and life sciences. Mr Bund is a Member of Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand and the Taxation Institute of Australia. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from The University of Adelaide and a Graduate Diploma in Chartered Accounting.

Dr Popper is pathologist and business consultant in the United States, with more than 25 years’ experience in diagnostics, medical devices and drug discovery, globally. Her wide-spanning experience which includes 10 years in senior management roles at leading medical technology firm, Becton Dickson & Company, provides her with perspective and insight to advise on the strategic direction of Microba in general and its diagnostics program in particular. With a career and education grounded in the United States market, Dr Popper has served in senior managerial and advisory positions at various Fortune 500 and start-up companies around the world. She holds a Master of Public Health (Health Policy and Health Economics) from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore and a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. Dr Popper is currently a Non-Executive Director of LBT Innovations Limited (ASX:LBT) and Chair of Agilex.

Dr  Hyungtae  Kim is an experienced leader in the global genomics field, having held positions at global genetic service provider, Macrogen as Chief Executive Officer of Macrogen, Inc., (Macrogen) for six years and as Chief Executive Officer of Macrogen Europe for three years. He brings his expertise as a leader and businessman in the genetics field to Microba Life Science’s Board where he is well-placed to provide strategic advice and insight into the global market. Macrogen is a company listed on the Korean Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (KOSDAQ), ensuring that Dr Kim brings experience from the Asia-Pacific markets into Microba. He received his PhD in molecular biology from The George Washington University and is a Director of the Gong-Wu Genome Information Foundation.

Jacqueline has over 25 years of experience leading teams and developing products within the financial services sector. She is a highly experienced investor, knowledgeable across all asset classes. Jacqueline brings a deep understanding of Equities, having managed portfolios across the asset class both domestically and internationally, resulting in a vast frame of reference of business strategies across multiple sectors.

Passionate about growth, helping to scale businesses and shaping them to attract capital. Motivated to address inequality, maximise diversity and inclusion and leverage commercial experience for social impact, climate change and responsible investment.

Jacqueline has a Bachelor of Commerce/Law degree, is a holder of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

Associate Professor Paul Griffin is a leading infectious diseases physician, microbiologist and Director of Infectious Diseases at Mater Health Services. One of the go-to spokespeople during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, Associate Professor Griffin brings more than 18 years’ experience across clinical practice and academia to provide high-level advice on Microba’s diagnostic asset development. He also holds appointments as Associate Professor at The University of Queensland, Principal Investigator and Medical Director at Nucleus Network and a Visiting Scientist with the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. Associate Professor Griffin is currently driving Microba’s development of diagnostic pathogen panel, MetaPanel, forward for translation to clinical practice. His primary research interests include clinical trials in the field of infectious diseases, such as malaria human challenge and transmission blocking studies, and the molecular detection of gametocytes as well as the detection of antibiotic resistance.

Associate Professor Jake Begun is a world-renowned and internationally educated leader in clinical trials and clinical research focused on the delivery of care and effectiveness of current therapies in gastroenterology. He leads the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) research group and is a consultant gastroenterologist at the Mater Research Institute as well as an Associate Professor at The University of Queensland’s School of Medicine. The experience that he brings to Microba’s work is invaluable in ensuring that diagnostic and therapeutic development meet unmet clinical needs for patient care. Associate Professor Begun received his MD and PhD at Harvard Medical School and completed his clinical training at Massachusetts General Hospital before returning to Australia. His research interests include dissecting the functional genetics of IBD, developing novel therapeutics for treating gut inflammation, and improving IBD clinical care through clinical research focused on responses to therapy and the use of intestinal ultrasound. His appointment to Microba’s inaugural IBD Advisory Panel will bring together years of clinical experience, a strong understanding of research translation and a commitment to patient care to the company’s research and development in IBD.

Associate Professor Chris Hogan is a well-respected General Practitioner and an Honorary Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne in the Department of General Practice. He brings more than a decade of experience across clinical practice and academia, with more than 50 academic publications to his name. Associate Professor Hogan brings his experience in practice and understanding of research translation to Microba’s Medical Advisory Board to provide high-level and current advice on unmet clinical needs for patients. At the University of Melbourne, he contributed to the establishment of a GP research network called VicREN and was the inaugural Director of the Victorian RACGP Faculty Research and Health Promotion Unit. Associate Professor Hogan has also been involved in extensive GP-based research.

Dr Luke Reid is an experienced research and technology commercialisation executive. His deep knowledge in the biotechnology sector has underpinned Microba’s growth into a global biotech company delivering on it’s mission to improve human health with precision microbiome science. Dr Reid’s expertise in translational research, technology commercialisation, commercial partnerships, licensing and intellectual property management uniquely places him to lead Microba as Chief Executive Officer. Previously, Dr Reid was Associate Director at UniQuest Pty Ltd, one of the global leaders in commercialisation of university technology. Prior to UniQuest Dr Reid held roles working with the world’s leading developer of advanced plant genetics, Dupont Pioneer, and the world leader in bioinnovation of enzymes, proteins and microorganisms, Novozymes. Dr Reid holds a PhD in molecular biology from The University of Adelaide and a Bachelor of Science (Biotechnology (Hons)) from Flinders University.

Mr Heath is a Chartered Accountant, with a background at one of Australia’s Big Four accounting and advisory firms. With more than nine years’ experience in accounting, finance and operations advisory across a broad range of industries, he brings his specialist skills to advance Microba’s financial and operational interests. Mr Heath is a member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand with a Bachelor of Business Management (Intl. Business and Marketing) and Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) from The University of Queensland. As Microba’s Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary, he also manages the group’s Board governance, operations and human resource management to ensure the company provides the best service to clients and partners. Prior to joining Microba Mr Heath was a management consultant at Deloitte Australia.

Professor Munro has over 25 years’ research and development experience, including with multinational biopharmaceutical company Amgen. During this time which included the role of Executive Director leading a global team, Professor Munro played key roles in the translation of molecules from research, through clinical trials, regulatory approval, and global licensure. This included a diverse range of programs spanning novel biologics, small molecules, nucleic acid-based, cell-based and gene-based therapies across multiple therapeutic areas. As Senior Vice President of Therapeutics at Microba Life Sciences, Professor Munro leads the Company’s therapeutic strategy to progress its drug development programs and pharma partnering engagements. Prior to joining Microba, Professor Munro held several leadership roles in Australia including Director of the National Biologics Facility (NBF), Program Director of the CEPI funded Rapid Response Vaccine pipeline, Director of the ARC Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation (CBI) and Senior Group Leader at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) at the University of Queensland. Professor Munro completed postdoctoral studies in cell biology and developmental genetics at Harvard Medical School and the University of Cambridge and has a PhD in Protein Biochemistry from the University of Queensland.

Associate Professor Lutz Krause is an internationally recognised expert in the application of big data methods to understand molecular biology who oversees the biostatistics work at Microba. As Chief Scientific Officer, his expertise in identifying therapeutic leads and developing diagnostics using artificial intelligence plays an integral role in meeting clinical needs with diagnostic and therapeutic assets. Associate Professor Krause received his PhD in Bioinformatics and Genome Research from Bielefeld University, Germany and has worked with numerous high impact research teams, including the Nestlé Research Institute where he studied the role of the gut microbiota in health and disease. Following his research at Nestlé he was recruited to QIMR Berghofer to head the Bioinformatics team and in 2014 he joined The University of Queensland as Principal Research Fellow. Associate Professor Krause continues to lead diagnostic and therapeutic work in key areas of human health and disease with Dr Páraic Ó Cuív.

With over thirty years in building and guiding technology-based innovation companies both locally and globally, Mr Woodcroft brings significant depth of startup and commercial experience to establishing the international growth of Microba’s Platform Solutions testing business. With an honours qualification in Engineering from the University of Queensland, his experience has included technical development and design, program leadership of multi-million-dollar initiatives, global technology expansion from Brisbane to the US, Vice President roles in a Fortune 500 company, senior executive experience in the health industry, business development, board directorship and the leadership of innovation programs and ecosystems. As Director of The University of Queensland’s iLab innovation programs, Mr Woodcroft was instrumental in bringing Microba’s initial business models to life that underpinned Microba’s initial investments. Throughout his career he has been fortunate to operate in senior positions in scaling technology companies, in government, in the university sector, and to drive the new innovative collaborations.