Ryan Lister leads a research group exploring the epigenome, at the University of Western Australia and the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research. After receiving his PhD from UWA in 2005, Ryan undertook postdoctoral studies at The Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California from 2006. There he developed new techniques to map the epigenome, the molecular code superimposed upon the genome that plays crucial roles in regulating the information contained in the underlying DNA sequence. His discoveries include generating the first accurate maps of the human epigenome, and characterizing the suprising complexity of the human brain epigenome. His research has yielded new insights into the composition and function of the epigenome in a variety of systems, including plants, the brain, stem cells, and developing vertebrate embryos. Having returned to UWA in 2012, Ryan’s laboratory is focused upon understanding how the epigenome patterns are established and changed, how they affect the readout of underlying genetic information, their involvement in development and disease, and developing molecular tools to precisely edit the epigenome.