Dr Hugh Goold

Dr Hugh Goold is a Scientia Lecturer in synthetic biology at UNSW Sydney, working in partnership with NSW DPIRD Agriculture and Biosecurity. His research focuses on synthetic genomics and the engineering of yeast, microbial and algal systems to address challenges in agriculture, biotechnology and environmental resilience. He led the construction and debugging of SynXVI, the 903-kb synthetic chromosome XVI of the international Sc2.0 Synthetic Yeast Genome Project, work published in Nature Communications, and has contributed to broader efforts to understand the principles of engineering genomes at chromosome scale. 

Hugh is currently leading The Golden Genome Project, funded by Revive & Restore, which applies genetic engineering and genome-scale approaches to microalgae to investigate and engineer traits associated with climate resilience.

His research spans synthetic genomics, algal biotechnology and agricultural biotechnology, and his work has been published in Nature Biotechnology, Nature Communications and Cell Genomics. His UNSW Scientia appointment continues a longstanding research partnership with NSW DPIRD, linking academic synthetic biology with agricultural and biosecurity research. 

Hugh completed a cotutelle PhD through the University of Sydney and Aix-Marseille University, conducting his research at CEA Cadarache in the Laboratoire de Bioénergétique et Biotechnologie des Bactéries et Microalgues in France. His research and scientific commentary have attracted substantial public interest, with appearances and coverage including NBN News, Good Weekend and The Sydney Morning Herald, alongside science and technology media. He sits on the executive committee of the Australian French Association for Research and Innovation, and acts as the NSW hub leader.

He is an active science communicator and advocate for translating advances in synthetic biology into practical applications.