Ms Leeba Ann Chacko
Research Associate
Research & Enterprise
Kat Gaus Light Microscopy Fac
Dr. Leeba Ann Chacko is a Research Associate at the Katharina Gaus Light Microscopy Facility at UNSW, based within the Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre, specialising in advanced fluorescence imaging and quantitative image analysis. Her work spans confocal, spinning disk, FLIM, spectral imaging, multiphoton, and STED microscopy alongside end to end instrument support and researcher training.
She completed her PhD in Anatomy at UNSW in 2025, where she investigated how mitochondrial function regulates cellular growth kinetics using live cell imaging in microfluidic devices, combining MATLAB based quantitative analysis with Python workflows and deep learning segmentation. Across earlier roles at the Indian Institute of Science, the National University of Singapore, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, she developed expertise in live cell microscopy and quantitative analysis applied to cytoskeletal regulation and mitochondrial dynamics.
At KGLMF, Dr. Chacko supports diverse biomedical imaging projects by developing robust acquisition and analysis pipelines, benchmarking advanced methodologies, and translating quantitative microscopy approaches into practical workflows for researchers at UNSW and collaborating institutions.
Phone
+61 2 9348 8231
E-mail
Location
Lowy Cancer Research Centre (C25) Room LG11
- Publications
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- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
2025: Recipient of the SBMS Paper of the Month Award, issued by UNSW in recognition of outstanding research contribution.
2022: Recipient of the UNSW Medicine APA Top Up Scholarship, awarded by the University of New South Wales to support outstanding research students in the Faculty of Medicine and Health.
2021: Recipient of the Tuition Fee Scholarship, awarded by the University of New South Wales to support PhD studies in Australia.
Publications
Journal articles | 2025
2025, 'Mitochondrial function regulates cell growth kinetics to maintain mitochondrial homeostasis', Current Biology, 35(21), pp. 5278 to 5288.e4, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.09.046
Journal articles | 2023
2023, 'Microtubule mitochondrial attachment facilitates cell division symmetry and mitochondrial partitioning in fission yeast', Journal of Cell Science, 136(1), pp. jcs260705, http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jcs.260705
Journal articles | 2021
2021, 'Mitochondrial dynamics, positioning and function mediated by cytoskeletal interactions', Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, 78(8), pp. 3969 to 3986, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00018-021-03762-5
Journal articles | 2019
2019, 'Quantification of mitochondrial dynamics in fission yeast', Bio protocol, 9(23), pp. e3450, http://dx.doi.org/10.21769/BioProtoc.3450
2019, 'Cortical tethering of mitochondria by the anchor protein Mcp5 enables uniparental inheritance', Journal of Cell Biology, 218(11), pp. 3560 to 3571, http://dx.doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201901108