Julianne (Julie) Djordjevic
Associate Professor
Bachelor of Science/Honors/PhD
Julie.djordjevic@wimr.org.au
Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology
Fungal Pathogenesis and Drug Discovery Group
Currently open to PHD and Honours students in the topic areas of:
Understanding fungal cell cycle and transcriptional regulation
Understanding how fungi sense and respond to nutrient deprivation and stress
Investigating new antifungal therapies

Biography
A/Prof Djordjevic investigates how fungi cause deadly diseases in humans and new therapeutic approaches to treating fungal infections (3 provisional patents).
Using the fungal priority pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans (WHO 2023) as a model, she discovered how fungi release virulence factors and how they sense and respond to nutrient deficiency and temperature stress. She also characterized a potentially druggable metabolic pathway critical for the success of a fungal infection. With a multidisciplinary team of national and international collaborators, A/Prof Djordjevic and her team are developing inhibitors to block this pathway as a new antifungal treatment. We are also investigating the antifungal properties of novel chemotherapeutic agents.
Research interests
Fungal nutrient acquisition pathways, Fungal stress response pathways, Fungal cell cycle and transcription regulation, Investigating new antifungal therapies
Adjunct roles
Fellow | Australian Society for Microbiology |
Drug Discovery Initiative (DDI) steering committee member | University of Sydney |
Professional member | Australian Society for Microbiology |
Host-pathogen interactions theme leader of Fungisphere (a node of Sydney ID) | Sydney ID, University of Sydney. |
Principal Research Fellow/Associate Professor (honorary appointment) | University of Sydney, FMH |
Undergraduate lecturer (3rd year) | University of Sydney- School of Medical Sciences |
Additional information
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4207-4115
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=nPe1O64AAAAJ&hl=en
USYD link – https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/about/our-people/academic-staff/julianne-djordjevic.html
Current grants
NHMRC: Ideas grant | 2020-2023 | Fungal IP7-protein interaction and invasive fungal disease: a dangerous liaison. |
Western Sydney Local Health District/University of Sydney/Industry Partner:Biodiem Australia | 2021-2024 | NSW Health PhD Partnership Program: Arg1 as a new antifungal drug target |
University of Sydney Drug Discovery Initiative | 2023 | Understanding the mechanism of action of a novel antifungal drug target |
Affiliations
Western Sydney Local Health District, Westmead Hospital, University of Sydney
Professional Associations and Organisations
July 2023-present | Australian Society for Microbiology | Fellow |
Jan 2023-present | University of Sydney | Drug Discovery Initiative (DDI) steering committee member |
2019 Oct-June 2023 | Australian Society for Microbiology | Professional member |
2018 June-present. | Sydney ID, University of Sydney. | Host-pathogen interactions theme leader of Fungisphere (a node of Sydney ID) |
2015-present | University of Sydney, FMH | Principal Research Fellow/Associate Professor (honorary appointment) |
2010-present | University of Sydney- School of Medical Sciences | Undergraduate lecturer (3rd year) |
Awards and recognition
WISE Awardee 2008/2015/2016/2019/2021 |