Meet The Team
Dr Natasha Hamilton
Equine Genetics Research Centre Director
Dr Hamilton was awarded her PhD in equine genetics from the University of Sydney in 2005. Before joining Racing Australia, she taught neurophysiology and equine science at the University of Sydney Faculty of Veterinary Science. Her research has always revolved around horses, focusing on the genetic factors that affect disease, soundness and career length in racehorses. Natasha is Chair of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) Gene Doping Control Sub-Committee and the International Horse Sports Confederation (IHSC) Gene Doping Expert Committee. She is also a member of International Horse Genome Workshop, International Group of Specialist Racing Veterinarians and the Association of Official Racing Chemists. Natasha been associated with racing for many years, rides OTT Thoroughbreds and has owned shares in a number of racehorses. Dr Hamilton commenced as the inaugural Director of the EGRC in January 2018.
Dominique Dolgener
Equine Genetics Research Centre Manager
Dominique graduated with a MSc (Hons) from Macquarie University in June 2005 and was employed as a Research Assistant in the ACRF Unit at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research. After a short foray as Account Manager with Applied Biosystems, Dominique started at Roche Diagnostics Australia in June 2009 as a Technical Product Specialist in the Applied Science Business Area with a special focus on molecular biology workflows. In September 2014 she joined the Molecular Systems team as a Field Applications Specialist (FAS) assisting with installation, training and troubleshooting of instrumentation utilized for human diagnostic tests. Dominique has a very keen interest in PCR-related applications and is especially interested in the development of new testing methodologies. Dominique joined the EGRC as the inaugural Equine Genetics Research Centre Manager in 2018.
Taelor Mackenzie
Senior Laboratory Technical Officer
Taelor attended the University of Queensland, Gatton, where she graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Animal and Veterinary Biology. After moving to Scone in 2017 she has worked closely with the local equine industry and was thrilled to join us in the Equine Genetics Research Centre. Her key interests include hereditary equine diseases and thoroughbred breeding.
Ceilidh Jenkins
Laboratory Technical Officer
Ceilidh graduated from Massey University in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Genetics and Animal Science. She grew up in the Thoroughbred industry and has worked with horses of all ages, from breeding and yearling preparation, to racing and retraining. She regularly rides her retired racehorse and recently invested in her first broodmare. Ceilidh has a particular research interest in the genetics of unusual coat colours and patterns and the development of tests to detect carriers of hereditary equine diseases.
