Carola Venturini
Carola is a microbiologist whose research work has primarily focused on the role of mobile genetic elements in the evolution of infectious bacteria. Her work has a multidisciplinary approach that combines traditional microbiology molecular methods with bioinformatics (genomics). She graduated with distinction at the University of Wollongong, with an honours thesis on UV-damage on Antarctic moss DNA. During her PhD, she started studying the relationship between antibiotic resistance, virulence and mobile DNA in pathogenic enterobacteria, and this area remains one of her main research interests. In order to deepen her expertise in the field of bacterial evolution, Carola accepted a postdoctoral position at The University of Queensland (2010-2013) where she was involved in research projects investigating the links between horizontal gene transfer and pathogenicity in Streptococcus pyogenes, including the acquisition and transfer of virulence and antibiotic resistance determinants by phage and other integrative DNA elements. Carola has been part of Prof Jon Iredell’s research group at The Westmead Institute for Medical Research since 2013. Here, she started investigating the ecology of the gut microbiome related to mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in the Enterobacteriacae. Carola is leading scientist in a newly NHMRC-funded project exploring the use of bacteriophage in combating infective multi-resistant bacterial clones. Throughout her career, she has also had extensive experience and has excelled in academic teaching, both in the class and as a supervisor.
Abstracts this author is presenting: