Dr Lucy Furfaro is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership within the Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Western Australia (UWA). After completing her PhD in 2019, she was awarded Raine/Robson and Forrest Prospect Fellowships to fuel her research on bacterial pathogens that are a major cause of death and disability during early life, such as Group B Streptococcus. Dr Furfaro’s research focuses on infection during pregnancy and targeted therapeutic solutions to the leading causes of neonatal sepsis in an era of antimicrobial resistance. Lucy is advancing the field of perinatal bacteriophage (phage) research which presents an exciting and previously untapped area. The impact of her research spans not only translation via targeted therapeutic alternatives, but also aims to advance our biological understanding of the role phages play in regulating natural bacterial populations (microbiome) during pregnancy and early-life. Recognising the importance of accessible and transparent research, Lucy is an active science communicator and is striving to ensure that the benefits of these studies reach those directly and indirectly impacted.

Microbiology, bacteriophage biology and therapy, antimicrobial resistance and alternative therapies, perinatal pathogens, Group B Streptococcus (Streptococcus agalactiae) and infectious diseases more broadly.