Samantha Nixon

I’m fascinated by how we can find natural products around the world and use them in biomedical and biotechnological applications. My PhD at the UQ Institute of Molecular Bioscience looks at the amazing and diverse chemistries in spider venoms and how we can use them to treat major parasitic diseases of both livestock and humans. I’m passionate about addressing equality in access to education and medicine and my goal is to see the end of neglected tropical diseases. I’m working in the science communication and education space to try to encourage STEM literacy and participation for young Australians. I hope to become a leader in research with connections to government, industry and other key stakeholder organisations so that I can ensure policy is evidence-based, that we have transparent communication between stakeholders, researchers and policymakers, and that research funding is equitably distributed to better our broader community.

Sam's principal advisor is Professor Glenn King.