INVITED SPEAKERS
International Keynote Speakers
Chantal Abergel has been heading the Structural and Genomic Information Laboratory in Marseille, France since 2018. She received her education at the Aix-Marseille University (France) where she completed a PhD (1990) in material science, studying the impact of microgravity on protein crystallization. She then became a research fellow in structural biology at the National Institute of Health. In 1995 she co-founded with Jean-Michel Claverie the first French laboratory combining bioinformatics with experimental research. The discovery of the first giant virus, mimivirus, in 2004 marked a turning point in her scientific career. She is now studying giant viruses’ physiology, evolution, and their ecological role in the environment.
Dr. Chantal Abergel
Director, Information Génomique et Structurale, Research Director CNRS, France
Dr. Joe Grove is a Sir Henry Dale Fellow and Senior Lecturer at the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research. Combining virology, computational analysis, and structural biology, Dr. Grove and his team investigate viral glycoprotein function and evolution. His recent studies on SARS-CoV-2 and hepatitis C virus have contributed to our understanding of entry mechanisms, viral adaptation and immune evasion. Dr. Grove is pioneering the use of protein structure prediction to map the distribution of functions across virology. This research aims to inform vaccine design and enhance our ability to predict and respond to emerging viral threats.
Dr. Joe Grove
Sir Henry Dale Fellow and Senior Lecturer, MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Scotland
Plenary Speakers
Professor Michael Beard heads the Viral Pathogenesis Research Laboratory at The University of Adelaide. His expertise and focus are the study of positive strand RNA viruses of the Flaviviridae family such as hepatitis C virus and other closely related viruses such as Dengue, West Nile Virus and more recently Zika virus. His laboratory is interested in the innate immune response to viral infection and characterising the host antiviral response through the expression of interferon stimulated genes. His team employs cutting edge molecular techniques such as CRISPR-related genome wide knockout and activator screens to identify novel host factors involved in viral lifecycles and host viral control.
Professor Michael Beard
The University of Adelaide
Yonatan Ganor received his PhD degree in neuroimmunology from the Weizmann institute (Rehovot, Israel) in 2006, and completed his postdoctoral training on mucosal HIV-1 transmission and reservoirs at the Cochin Institute (Paris, France) in 2013. He then created an original research theme in neuroimmunovirology, permitting his recruitment as Research Associate by the French CNRS in 2013. He is group leader since 2017, Senior Research Director since 2022, and future laboratory co-director at the Cochin Institute in Paris from 2025. His early studies pioneered the use of human tissues derived from the male genitals and made significant contributions to the HIV-1 field. He currently focuses on neuro-immuneepithelial interactions that control transmission of human mucosal viruses, and was the first to describe the protective role of the neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) against a variety of viruses, including HIV-1, HSV-2, and more recently SARS-CoV-2.
Dr. Yonatan Ganor
Cochin Institute, France
Professor Jemma Geoghegan holds the Webster Family Chair in Viral Pathogenesis and is a Rutherford Discovery Fellow at the University of Otago, New Zealand. She is an evolutionary virologist with a strong research focus on emerging infectious disease. Jemma's research focuses on determining the fundamental patterns and processes of viral evolution, ecology and emergence. This involves using metagenomics to reveal the diversity, structure and evolution of the virosphere; examining the evolution of major viral infections; and developing new analytical and computational approaches to analyse aspects of virus evolution.
Professor Jemma Geoghegan
The University of Otago
Prof Stephanie Gras is head of the Viral & Structural Immunology laboratory and Deputy Director of the La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science (LIMS) at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.
Prof Gras’ research is instrumental on providing a better understanding of the first key event in T cell-mediated immunity towards pathogens: the antigen recognition mechanism. Notably her work has elucidated the link between HLA and asymptomatic COVID profile, link between TCR docking orientation and T cell activation. Understanding antigen recognition using structural biology offers tremendous opportunities to design new therapies that mobilise, reprogram, or boost the immune system.
Twitter: @GrasLab Web site: Graslab.com.au
Professor Stephanie Gras
La Trobe University
Josh completed his PhD at Monash University (2015-2019) with Prof. Fasséli Coulibaly, in which he used cryo-EM to study the architecture of viruses. He has solved structures of multiple viruses, including circoviruses, flaviviruses, and a bacteriophage. He joined WEHI in 2020 to use his cryo-EM skills to study the structure of pseudokinases and cell receptor complexes with Prof. Isabelle Lucet and A/Prof. Jeff Babon. Josh holds an NHMRC EL1 Investigator Grant (2022-2026) to study the structure of microtubule networks in cancer and neurogenesis, and leads the Training in Electron Microscopy Processing and Optics (TEMPO) program at WEHI to produce educational resources for cryo-EM.
Dr Joshua Hardy
Monash University
Dr Erin Harvey is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Sydney in the research group of Prof. Edward Holmes (Virus Emergence and Evolution group). Her research focuses on using metatranscriptomic virus discovery to investigate the evolution and ecology of viruses in Australia. Dr Harvey has a particular interest in characterising the viruses of marsupials to understand the dynamics of virus-host co-evolution over timescales of host evolution. She is also interested in the dynamics of cross-species transmission between marsupials and eutherian mammals and the impact that the introduction of domestic species in Australia has had on wildlife health.
Dr Erin Harvey
The University of Sydney
A/Prof Hearps is Co-Director of the Disease Elimination Program and Head of the Infection, Inflammation and Innate Immunity laboratory the Burnet Institute. She is a biomedical researcher with extensive experience studying the pathogenesis and clinical manifestations of HIV and other chronic viral infections. Her research group focuses on innate immune cells and how they contribute to chronic, age-related comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease and are also working to identify strategies to eliminate HIV-infected myeloid cells to advance HIV cure.
A/Prof Anna Hearps
Burnet Institute
Professor McMillans research focuses on treatments for viruses and viral cancers. He discovered the receptor for the human papillomavirus, has developed RNA-based treatments for viral cancers, and has developed nanoparticle delivery systems for gene silencing and editing therapy. His laboratory was the first to show cancer could be cured in vivo using CRISPR (2019) and that siRNAs would cure animals from COVID19 infection (2021). He heads the Griffith Centre for Cell and Gene Medicines, which includes the Griffith Nanoparticle Biofoundry and is Professor in the School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences and Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics at Griffith University.
Prof Nigel McMillan
Griffith University
Dr Jessica Neil
The University of Melbourne
Jessica received her PhD from the University of Melbourne in 2013 studying the effects of rotavirus infection on the development of type 1 diabetes with A/Prof Barbara Coulson. She then completed her postdoctoral training at the New York University School of Medicine with Prof Ken Cadwell where she studied the impact of norovirus infection on intestinal homeostasis and inflammatory bowel disease. In 2020, she returned to Australia to work with Prof Kanta Subbarao at the University of Melbourne to study SARS-CoV-2 infection. Jessica uses complex cell culture models, including organoids and air-liquid interface cultures, and mouse models to study coronavirus infection.
Lloyd Dolan
Charles Sturt University
Lloyd Dolan is a Wiradjuri man from Hay NSW, with family ties to Narrandera and to Mathi Mathi. Lloyd’s current role as Academic Lead (First Nations) at Charles Sturt University provides strategic leadership and direction regarding Indigenous curriculum requirements at multiple qualification levels. Working with community members and organisations has provided Lloyd the opportunity to provide cultural advice, support, and direction to ensure culturally appropriate service delivery to both Indigenous and Non-Indigenous clients, from academics to the Australian Ballet. Lloyd has also published an extensive linguistics review of the Wiradjuri language.
Dr Natalie Netzler
The University of Auckland
Dr Natalie Netzler is a New Zealand born Sāmoan and Māori (Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāti Hauā) virologist and Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland. She has a PhD from UNSW Australia, and experience developing antivirals and vaccines in biotech and academic settings. Her current research focusses on broad-spectrum antiviral discovery and development, and how the unique genetics of Pacific and Māori populations impact the immune response. She also partners with indigenous communities to examine the antiviral properties of traditional medicines from across the Pacific. Natalie volunteers her spare time for infectious disease education with indigenous Pacific and Māori communities.
Dr Jody Peters
The University of Queensland
.Dr Jody Peters is a virologist based at The University of Queensland and specialises in mosquito-borne virus discovery and the development of novel vaccine and diagnostic platforms. She has focused on strategies to detect emerging viruses and benign mosquito symbionts, the latter of which have been exploited to generate innovative vaccine and diagnostic candidates against numerous mosquito-borne diseases caused by viruses such as Japanese encephalitis, West Nile and chikungunya viruses.
Prof Trevor Lithgow
Monash University
Professor Trevor Lithgow is a biologist who studies drug-resistant bacteria, at both the single cell and population level, based at Monash University. He was an ARC Federation Fellow, an ARC Australian Laureate Fellow and is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science. In partnership with key groups of Traditional Owners, Trevor is now focussed on building a framework for ethical bioprospecting and microbial surveillance and assessments in Australia.
Dr. Jenna Guthmiller is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
Jenna received her PhD from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. She conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Chicago.
Dr. Guthmiller's research focuses on understanding how influenza viruses evolve to evade host humoral immunity and the impacts of this evolution on viral fitness. By connecting immunity to evolution, her group is able to identify influenza virus weak spots that can be targeted by universal influenza vaccines.
Dr Jenna Guthmiller
The University of Colorado
Indigenous Virology Panel
Dr Allison Imrie
The University of Western Australia
Dr Allison Imrie is an Associate Professor in the School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Western Australia. Her laboratory investigates viral molecular epidemiology and immunopathogenesis. She works with colleagues in the Indo Pacific region to investigate endemic and neglected tropical diseases and collaborates with colleagues in Australia and the US to identify novel mosquito-borne viruses. She has served on the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) Flavivirus Study Group, as a consultant for the Indo-Pacific Centre for Health Security, Australia, and has served as a consultant for the Global Program on AIDS, WHO Western Pacific Regional Office.
Dr Natalie Netzler
The University of Auckland
Natalie Netzler is a Māori (Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāti Hauā) and Sāmoan (Moto’otua, Falealili) Senior Lecturer and the BSL3 Facility Director at the University of Auckland. Her research focuses on developing broad-spectrum antivirals to combat viral infections. She engages with Māori and indigenous Pacific communities for infectious disease education and collaboration.