Pocock Lab research

Collaborations | Student Research Projects | Publications

About Professor Roger Pocock

Professor Roger Pocock is based at the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute. Roger leads the Brain Development, Neuroplasticity and Stem Cells Laboratory in the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology. His research group studies how inter-tissue communication controls cell development and function.

Roger grew up on the south coast of England where he entered the banking sector as a teenager. During his mid-twenties, Roger decided to completely change his career path and studied Genetics and Biochemistry at the University of Wales in Aberystwyth and at Washington State University in the USA.

Roger trained as a doctoral student at the University of Oxford from 2000-2004, where he was first introduced to his favourite model organism - the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. During this period, Roger worked on the transcriptional control of embryonic development before moving into the neuroscience field.

Upon completion of his doctorate, Roger commenced his postdoctoral work at Columbia University Medical Centre in New York City. Here, he again used C. elegans but now to study how the nervous system senses and responds to environmental stress. This work produced groundbreaking studies in the field of hypoxia (low oxygen), insights into which are now being used to design drugs to prevent brain defects in premature newborn babies.

In 2010, Roger started his own research group at the University of Copenhagen. The focus of his research during the early phase of his laboratory was to delineate functions of microRNAs in neuronal development and function, in addition to the control of neuronal fate programming by transcription factors. His research findings have driven his research into new areas that are encompassed by how inter-tissue communication controls behavior and physiology.

During his career, Roger has received multiple prestigious fellowships: European Research Council, NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship, veski Innovation Fellowship, and project grants: ARC, NHMRC, NFMRI, and international.

curriculum vitae

2020 - Present    Professor, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University

2015 - 2020        Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University

2010 - 2015        Associate Professor, Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

2004 - 2010        Postdoctoral Fellow, Columbia University Medical Centre, New York, USA

2000 - 2004        D. Phil in Biochemistry, University of Oxford

1998 - 1999        Exchange student, Washington State University, USA

1996 - 2000        B. Sc in Genetics and Biochemistry, University of Wales, Aberystwyth

Our research

Current Projects

1. Control of metabolism and lifespan through neuro-intestinal signalling
2. Intestinal control of germline development and germ cell behaviour
3. Elucidating molecular mechanisms that control axon outgrowth and guidance

Visit Professor Pocock’s Monash research profile to see a full listing of current projects.

Inter-tissue communication allows different cells and tissues to function as a single coordinated system rather than isolated parts. In multicellular animals, development and survival depends on this integration.

We use the exceptional Caenorhabditis elegans genetic model to study how cells and tissues coordinate development, metabolism and ageing.  C. elegans uses similar developmental mechanisms and communication systems as humans; therefore, is an appropriate model to study the function of conserved genes.

The transparency of C. elegans enables us to study cells in live animals - and with just 959 cells (including 302 neurons) in the C. elegans hermaphrodite this simplifies the task. We are able to study the cells development and function with single-neuron resolution and can manipulate the development and activity of specific neurons using sophisticated molecular techniques.

1. Single cell resolution neurobiology
In biological systems, functional maps can help us decipher how genes and proteins work. Understanding how individual neurons control behaviour and physiology remains a major challenge. Key functional outputs – including movement, feeding, sleep, metabolism, stress, immunity, and ageing – can be precisely quantified in C. elegans; however, a lack of precision tools has hampered systematic mapping of neuron and circuit functions. We aim to deliver functional maps with single neuron resolution and transform global neuroscience capacity by delivering novel tools to facilitate unprecedented insight into nervous system function.

2. Brain-intestinal communication
The nervous system is essential for regulating of food intake and metabolism.  In turn, feedback signals from metabolic tissues (such as the intestine) to the nervous system are important modulators of appetite, motor activity and sleep. Communication between the nervous system and metabolic tissue is therefore fundamental for maintaining physiological homeostasis. We study the function molecules in the nervous system and intestine that control intestinal fat levels, stress resistance and healthy ageing. Understanding the molecular basis of this communication axis will not only contribute to advances in behavioural neuroscience, but will also inform areas such as eating disorders, obesity, and sleep.

3. Intestine to germline signalling
Animal fertility requires that germ cells faithfully differentiate into functional oocytes and sperm (gametes). Understanding fundamental processes that generate gametes for species propagation is vital for assisted reproductive technologies in humans, agriculturally important animal production, and conservation. Using high-throughput genetic screening, we have discovered molecules acting in the intestine that control germ cell development and behaviour. This research provides an opportunity to dissect how gut signals influence germline responses to internal and external environmental and metabolic fluctuations.

4. Wiring of the brain
The correct formation of brain architecture requires that neurons migrate to their correct position and then extend axons and dendrites to their specific targets. During development, neurons navigate through a complex environment where they receive signals from the extracellular matrix and guidance molecules. We study the molecular mechanisms that control these complex events during development that often go awry in disease states.

We collaborate with many scientists and research organisations around the world.  Some of our more significant national and international collaborators are listed below. Click on the map below for details for each of these collaborators (dive into specific publications and outputs by clicking on the dots).

Professor John Christodoulou, Murdoch Children’s Hospital
Professor John Couchman, University of Copenhagen
Professor Oliver Griesbeck, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology
Professor Oliver Hobert, Columbia University
Professor David Rubinsztein, University of Cambridge
Professor Zhicheng Xiao, Monash University
Associate Professor Alex de Marco, Monash University
Dr Jie Liu, Monash University
Dr Brent Neumann, Monash University

Student Research Projects

The Pocock Lab offers a variety of Honours, Masters and PhD projects for students interested in joining our group. There are also a number of short term research opportunities available.

Please visit Supervisor Connect to explore the projects currently available in the Pocock Lab.