Dr. Tony Chiovitti – Deputy Director

Email: tchiovitti@gtac.edu.au
Phone: +61 (3) 9340 3613

Drawn to science initially by my fascination with the diversity of marine life, I attained a B.Sc. (Hons.) at the University of Melbourne in 1992.  I completed a Ph.D. at the School of Botany, University of Melbourne in 1997 investigating the cell wall biochemistry of Australian red algae and algal evolution by phylogenetic analysis of gene sequences.  I have 8 years postdoctoral research experience in Australia and in the United Kingdom spanning biochemical studies of bacteria and microalgae, including an international collaboration in the first phytoplankton genomes to be sequenced.  During my research career, I was fortunate to have received two fellowships, co-authored over 30 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and be invited to speak at global conferences in the fields of marine botany and biotechnology.

Having discovered a passion for teaching through my experiences as a student supervisor and demonstrator, I obtained a Dip. Ed. (2004).  In 2007, I joined the education team at GTAC where I have developed and delivered educational programs for students and professional learning programs for teachers on the themes of cell and molecular biology, health and disease, ecology, and evolution.  Shaped by my research background and the value I attach to the transferable skills a science career affords, my pedagogical interests include developing scenario-based investigative programs for students, as well as projects that enable students to undertake authentic research.