Jenny Graves

Jennifer Ann Marshall Graves
Born	(1941-11-24) November 24, 1941 Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Occupation(s)	Geneticist, Professor
Years active	1971–present
Known for	Research on mammalian genome structure and sex chromosome evolution; prediction of human Y chromosome disappearance; advocacy of evolution as a unifying framework in biology
Notable work	Comparative genomics research on Australian marsupials and monotremes; co-creation of the libretto for the oratorio "Origins of the Universe, of Life, of Species, of Humanity"

Jennifer Ann Marshall Graves (born 24 November 1941) is a renowned Australian geneticist. She holds the position of Distinguished Professor at the La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, part of La Trobe University, and is also Professor Emeritus at the Australian National University.

Early life and education

Originating from Adelaide, South Australia, Graves is the eldest child of Tim Marshall, who led the Soils Division at CSIRO, and Ann Nicholls, a geography lecturer at the University of Adelaide. Her sibling is Lyn Richards.

Her education began at Highgate Primary School and continued at Presbyterian Girls' College (currently known as Seymour College) in Adelaide. Graves completed a BSc at the University of Adelaide in 1964, followed by an MSc in 1967, during which she studied epigenetic suppression of one X chromosome in female marsupials. She earned her PhD in 1971 from the University of California, Berkeley, focusing on mechanisms regulating DNA synthesis.

Career

Graves returned to Australia in 1971 to take up a genetics lectureship at La Trobe University, where she was promoted to Professor in 1991. She strongly advocates that evolution provides a unifying framework for all biological sciences, embracing the principle “Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution".

Her significant contributions include groundbreaking studies on mammalian genome structure, evolution, function, and preservation. By leveraging genetic variation found in Australian species like kangaroos, platypuses, Tasmanian devils, and dragons, she formulated essential hypotheses regarding human sex chromosome evolution, notably predicting the gradual disappearance of the human Y chromosome. Her research revealed that X chromosome silencing in mammals occurs through transcriptional repression driven by DNA methylation. During the mid-1980s, she advanced comparative gene mapping and sequencing initiatives by promoting the study of distantly related species and spearheading genome sequencing projects for Australian marsupials and the platypus. In 2001, she was appointed head of the Comparative Genomics Research Unit and Director of the ARC Centre for Excellence in Kangaroo Genomics at the Australian National University. Her collaboration with Associate Professor Janine Deakin has been extensive.

Graves was elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 1999 and subsequently served as Foreign Secretary and Education Secretary, where she managed science education programs. Among her many accolades are the L’Oreal-UNESCO Laureate award in 2006, the MacFarlane Burnet Medal, and an Order of Australia.

In 2011, she resumed her career in Melbourne as Distinguished Professor at La Trobe University while maintaining honorary appointments including Professor Emeritus at the Australian National University, Thinker-in-Residence at University of Canberra, and Professorial Fellow at University of Melbourne.

Her pioneering investigations into sex genetics earned her the Prime Minister's Prize for Science in 2017.

Sex determination

Together with her doctoral student Andrew Sinclair, Graves refuted the hypothesis that the ZFY gene functions as the testis-determining factor in mammals. Utilizing comparative genomics, they established that ZFY resides on autosomal chromosomes (specifically chromosome 5 in kangaroos and chromosome 3 in the fat-tailed dunnart), rather than on the Y chromosome, thereby excluding it from involvement in sex determination. Subsequently, Sinclair identified SRY as the definitive gene governing sex determination in mammals.

Graves further revealed that the sex chromosomes of the platypus lack homology with therian XY chromosomes, placing the origin of mammalian sex chromosomes between 160 and 190 million years ago, during the evolutionary split between monotremes and therian mammals.

Her investigations also encompassed the Australian dragon lizard (dragon lizard), uncovering a distinctive interplay of genetic and temperature-dependent sex determination mechanisms. Under standard incubation temperatures, sex is genetically dictated (ZZ males, ZY females), whereas elevated temperatures result exclusively in female hatchlings due to heat-induced inactivation of a dose-sensitive gene located on the Z chromosome. This discovery challenged the previously held notion that genetic and temperature-dependent systems of sex determination are mutually exclusive.

Origins (oratorio)

In collaboration with poet Leigh Hay, both active members of Melbourne’s Heidelberg Choral Society, Graves co-created a libretto elucidating contemporary scientific concepts for the oratorio titled Origins of the Universe, of Life, of Species, of Humanity. The musical composition was commissioned from Melbourne-born Nicholas Buc by the Heidelberg Choral Society. This nearly two-hour oratorio debuted on 18 July 2023 at the Melbourne Recital Centre during the XXIII International Congress of Genetics. The production featured a 100-member choir, a 60-piece orchestra, four vocal soloists conducted by Peter Bandy, and was enhanced with video visuals produced by biomedical animator Drew Berry from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute.

Honours

• 1999 – Inducted as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science.
• 2001 – Received the Centenary Medal recognizing contributions to Australian society and advancements in mammalian genetics and genomics.
• 2006 – Honored with the Macfarlane Burnet Medal and Lecture by the Australian Academy of Science.
• 2010 – Designated Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished work in genetics, focusing on Australian marsupials and monotremes and their implications for human evolution.
• 2017 – Awarded the Prime Minister's Prizes for Science for groundbreaking research on sex chromosome genetics.
• 2019 – Elected as a foreign associate to the US National Academy of Sciences.
• 2020 – Named Fellow of the Royal Society of Victoria.
• 2022 – Elevated to Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in recognition of leadership in evolutionary genetics, science education, and mentorship.
• 2023 – Presented with the Ruby Payne-Scott Medal and Lecture by the Australian Academy of Science.

External links

• Professor Jenny Graves – A Life Scientific, BBC
• World premiere of the oratorio: Origins of the Universe, of Life, of Species, of Humanity, 18 July 2023