Featured work
Below is a brief selection of my work, covering issues of women’s health, climate targets, research funding woes, the COVID-19 pandemic, and more.
The gut microbiome and chronic pain
Nature Outlook | Sept 2024
Pain from conditions such as endometriosis could be alleviated if the gut’s resident bacteria can be understood and tamed.
The tussle over cigarette warning labels, and the hazy future of vaping
Knowable magazine | Aug 2024
Regulatory hurdles, industry objections and legal fights have gone on for decades over traditional tobacco. What’s in store for the next generation of smoking?
Doing drugs differently: Reimagining drug development
Cosmos Magazine | Dec 2023
What could drug research and development look like if Australia – and the world – prioritised public health over profit?
Featured In
Matthew Abbott/New York Times/Redux/eyevine
These animals are racing towards extinction. A new home might be their last chance
Nature News | Sept 2023
Some of the most threatened animals might not survive in their current habitat because of climate change. Researchers are testing a controversial strategy to relocate them before it’s too late — starting with Australia’s rarest reptile.
World Mosquito Progam
Bacteria vs virus: the battle to defeat dengue
COSMOS Magazine | June 2023
The team behind a novel approach to fighting dengue fever – which was first tested in Australia and demonstrated at scale in Indonesia – is gearing up to launch its most ambitious phase yet.
winner
2024 Universities Australia Award For Excellence in University Research Reporting
The psychedelic remedy for chronic pain
Nature Outlook | Sept 2022
Drugs best known for their hallucinogenic properties, such as psilocybin, could help people beat the agony of migraines and other painful maladies.
FEATURED IN
WHO via Nature Medicine
Rise of the preprint: how rapid data sharing during COVID-19 has changed science forever
nature Medicine | Jan 2022
Medical discoveries have been shared at an unprecedented pace during the COVID-19 pandemic, but so have fraudulent studies, which has led to worries about scientific integrity.
featured in
Best Australian Science Writing 2022
Shortlisted for
UK Medical Journalists Association’s Feature of the Year (Specialist Audience) and 2022 UNSW Bragg Prize.
One city’s bold plan to reduce its emissions for everything, everywhere
COSMOS WEEKLY | DEC 2021
The Australian Capital Territory has decided to address the carbon emissions that most climate commitments neglect.
The hype about hydrogen
Australian Geographic | Sept 2021
Could the most abundant chemical element in the universe – hydrogen – be the answer to sustainable energy production in Australia?
What to avoid when treating your child's eczema
ABC Everyday | AprIL 2021
A word of caution from allergy experts on skincare products containing food.
Deep History of Sea Country Project
Stepping Off Shore and into Sea Country
Hakai Magazine | Feb 2021
Along the Australian coast, tens of thousands of years’ worth of Indigenous history lies a short dive below the sea’s surface. The hard part is finding it.
REPUBLISHED IN
Walking with fire
Australian Geographic | Nov 2020
Black Summer showed that modern bushfire-mitigation strategies are failing. Does the answer lie in restoring ancient Aboriginal burning practices?
featured in
Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty via Nature News
Stillbirth rate rises dramatically during pandemic
Nature News | Sept 2020
Researchers stress need for antenatal care, as emerging data link disrupted pregnancy services to increase in stillbirths.
Joel Carrett/AAP via The Guardian
‘No one has ever asked me that’: breast injuries in contact sport go unreported
The Guardian | Nov 2019
The popularity of women’s rugby and Australian rules football has soared in Australia in recent years. But new research suggests the management of breast injuries for athletes in these contact sports needs to catch up, as more women and girls enter the game.
Chasing opal in the Australian Outback
Undark | July 2019
An ambitious collaboration between scientists and a local mining community seeks to preserve one-of-a-kind opalised fossils.