Professor Freya J.I. Fowkes
Deputy Program Director, Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health; Head, Malaria and Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Working groups
Background
Professor Freya Fowkes is an NHMRC Leadership Fellow and Head of the Malaria and Infectious Disease Epidemiology group at Burnet Institute. She is also the Director of the Centre of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Melbourne.
Freya completed her doctorate in Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the University of Oxford and post-doctoral training at New York University and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. Her research program spans basic science, epidemiology, statistics and mathematical modelling and focuses on malaria in high-risk populations and antimalarial drug resistance.
Freya is involved in several multinational studies of malaria elimination and works with international partners, including WHO and the National Malaria Control Programs, to translate findings into relevant malaria control, elimination and surveillance strategies.
Qualifications
- 2007: DPhil, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
- 2002: MSc, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom
- 2001: BSc (Hons), University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
Positions
- 2023–current: Deputy Program Director, Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, Burnet Institute
- 2011–current: Head of Malaria and Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Burnet Institute
- 2011–current: Senior Principal Research Fellow and NHMRC Fellow, Burnet Institute
- 2021–2024: Head, Malaria Elimination Initiative, Burnet Institute
- 2007–2010: Post-doctoral Researcher, Walter + Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Appointments
- 2024–current: Director, Centre of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Melbourne
- 2018–current: Chief Investigator, NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Malaria Elimination
- 2019–current: Professor of Epidemiology, University of Melbourne
- 2011–current: Editorial Board, Malaria Journal
- 2018–current: Australian Society of Medical Research
- 2010–current: Victorian Infection and Immunity Network
- 2008–current: The Australian Society of Parasitology
- 2005–current: The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Awards
- 2020 Crofts Publication Award
- 2018 Frank Fenner Award for Medical Research
- 2017 Crofts Publication Award
- 2016 Georgina Sweet Award for Women in Quantitative Bioscience
- 2014 Burnet Institute Gust-McKenzie Medal
Burnet publications
View 118 moreEvaluating malaria reactive surveillance and response strategies in northeast Cambodia: a mixed-methods study
Malaria Journal
Win Han Oo et al
Mapping residual malaria transmission in Vietnam
The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific
Michael McPhail et al
Human antibodies against Anopheles salivary proteins: emerging biomarkers of mosquito and malaria exposure
Trends in Parasitology
Ellen Kearney et al
Current projects
View 12 more
HMHB: The impact of nutrition and infections on health for pregnant women and young children
In resource-poor regions, pregnant women experience high malaria rates, undernutrition and sexually transmitted infections. These can lead to maternal morbidity, mortality and in infants low birth weight and stunting.
Non-communicable diseases in adolescents in Indonesia
This study follows Indonesian adolescents to inform non-communicable disease policy and programming.
Immunity, drug efficacy and spread of antimalarial drug resistance
The aim of the study is to understand how host human immunity can interfere with evaluating how well antimalarial drugs work.
Past projects
View 7 moreImmunity to malaria and infectious diseases during pregnancy
We address fundamental questions on the modulation of antibody acquisition and maintenance during pregnancy.
Evaluating a highly sensitive rapid malaria diagnostic in PNG
This project compares the performance of novel high sensitivity Plasmodium falciparum rapid diagnostic tests with conventional tests.
WHISPER and SHOUT: mobile phone health interventions among sex workers in Kenya
We conducted a mobile phone-based health promotion with women who are sex workers in Mombasa, Kenya, to reduce unintended pregnancy.
