I am a grant funded research scientist in the Richter Lab at Adelaide University. 

While completing my Diploma in Medical Laboratory Science at University of South Australia, I simultaneously worked in a diagnostic microbiology laboratory, which allowed me to gain exposure to real-life patient cases and develop familiarity with a wide range of infectious diseases. Moving to the UK with stints working in diagnostic microbiology institutions provided invaluable exposure to international clinical standards, diverse pathogen profiles, and large-scale public health surveillance systems. Transitioning this knowledge into the research sphere whilst still in the UK I worked on pre-clinical development of new antimicrobials and phase 1 clinical trials leading into phase 4 post-market surveillance and then moving on to manage the European arm of global antimicrobial resistance studies. This variety of work continued returning to Adelaide, first in the Antibiotic Resistance Laboratory and later in a role as Scientific Head of Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics in private pathology. Having the opportunity to transition back to research I joined the Australian Centre for Antimicrobial Resistant Ecology at The University of Adelaide. This enabled me to focus on identifying drug-resistant bacterial strains in livestock and companion animals, investigating their mechanisms of underlying antimicrobial resistance (AMR), researching novel antimicrobial therapies and contributing to mapping the genetic basis of resistant bacteria. Alongside this role, I also managed the university’s veterinary diagnostic microbiology laboratory, which gave me invaluable opportunities to collaborate with veterinarians specialising in livestock, companion animals, native wildlife, and zoo animals.

As part of the Richter lab at The University of Adelaide, my work now focuses on developing alternative antimicrobial treatments for the food and veterinary industries, with a primary focus on egg production, particularly egg washing. Salmonella, predominantly, is responsible for millions of gastroenteritis cases worldwide each year, with approximately 85% associated with contaminated food. Eggs are a major source of transmission and egg washing is therefore a critical control point in poultry production. An alternative to existing industry-standard chemical sanitisers is plasma-activated water (PAW). This is an emerging technology that uses electrical discharge over water to generate reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, producing an antimicrobial solution without the need for chemicals or leaving harmful residues. PAW has demonstrated strong antimicrobial performance, including the ability to disrupt biofilms, with efficacy comparable to industry-standard chemical sanitisers. Its environmentally friendly and sustainable nature also provides a significant advantage and supports the potential transition from laboratory testing to practical on-farm applications.