Published 13 January 2026

NHMRC 2025 success for Burnet researchers

Congratulations to Dr Johanna Fraser, head of Burnet Institute's Arbovirology working group, and Dr Hayley Bullen, Burnet co‐Head of Malaria Virulence, Drug Discovery and Resistance, on receiving NHMRC 2025 Ideas Grants.

The Ideas Grant is funded by the Australian Government National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to support innovative research projects addressing a specific question.

Dr Bullen has been awarded more than $1.3 million over 2 years to support the development of new malaria treatments by repurposing compounds to which the parasite has developed resistance. The research will assess how effectively these compounds kill the malaria parasite, and help advance the development of new treatments.

Dr Fraser has received more than $780,000 over 2 years to investigate how new drugs could help treat dengue, a disease spread by mosquitoes. The project will examine how these drugs work and whether mosquito-control strategies can help reduce disease transmission.

Headshots of two women in a split view. On the left is a woman with blonde shoulder length hair wearing a red blouse and on the right, a woman with short brunette hair wearing a grey cardigan. They are both smiling. — *Dr Hayley Bullen (left), and Dr Johanna Fraser (right).*

NHMRC 2025 postgraduate scholarships

Burnet Senior Research Officer Dr Joshua Ginnane and Research Midwife Kara Blackburn have also been awarded the NHMRC 2025 postgraduate scholarships.

The Postgraduate Scholarships scheme funds successful applicants to attain a research-based postgraduate degree – either a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or a Research Masters Degree.

Dr Ginnane will examine how floods, heatwaves, and heavy rainfall affect access to, and the quality of, maternal health care in Bangladesh with the aim of strengthening maternity services and preparing hospitals for future climate challenges.

Ms Blackburn will investigate how midwives can safely and effectively use vacuum-assisted birth devices to assist childbirth in low-resource settings where they are the sole providers.