NOVEMBER NEWS 

Message from SAAFE Education & Training Program Manager Dr Lisa Kirkland

This month, we look back on a standout moment for our community: the SAAFE AMR Research Roadshow. With more than 170 registrations across Brisbane, Sydney, Perth and Melbourne, the Roadshow brought our network together to share expertise, deepen partnerships and build capability. It connected partners and researchers, aligned our community around a shared One Health AMR approach, and welcomed newly contracted researchers into the SAAFE way of working.

Highlights included the first in-person gathering of our Foundation Fellows, marking both a milestone for the cohort and the delivery of our first training component within Education & Training Program.

We’re also excited to introduce SAAFE Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr Sopheak Hem, whose work in clinical microbiology, infectious diseases and genomic epidemiology is advancing our understanding of environmental AMR.

In this issue, you’ll find updates on events, key AMR news, and recent publications to keep you connected and informed.

Finally, we'd appreciate it if you could please take a few minutes to complete a short survey to share your feedback on our newsletter.

Your thoughts will help us improve our communications, to better serve our community and advance our One Health AMR mission.

SAAFE Roadshow builds community and capability 

SAAFE's AMR Research Roadshow travelled through Queensland, Sydney, Perth and Melbourne, attracting more than 170 registrations and bringing our community together to build collaboration and capability in One Health AMR.

The events focused on connecting with partners and researchers across our major institutions, building a shared One Health AMR methodology, and onboarding newly contracted researchers into the SAAFE way of working.

Each stop featured tailored sessions to strengthen collaboration and impact. Attendees joined practical workshops on industry engagement, milestone reporting and impact delivery, while industry partners showcased SAAFE research and explored new opportunities to collaborate.

A key highlight was the first in-person gathering of our Foundation Fellows. This milestone strengthened relationships, fostered a sense of belonging and marked the delivery of the first training content within the Education & Training Program, laying the groundwork for future short courses and a lasting One Health AMR training legacy. The six Fellows also shared their research, showcasing the expertise and impact they bring to our CRC.

The Roadshow also connected SAAFE Scholars with the team and partners. Several Scholars presented their work, which provided them an excellent professional development and mentoring opportunity. These visits gave SAAFE deeper insight into partner university capabilities and industry needs, helping shape future training priorities.

Interactive professional development sessions, led by Foundation Fellows and researchers, were another standout, providing practical skills in study design, sampling, data quality and systems thinking.

With strong attendance and engagement at every stop, the Roadshow underscored growing momentum across the SAAFE community and a shared commitment to advancing AMR research nationwide.

EDAR8 REGISTRATIONS OPENING SOON

Get ready! Registrations will open soon for EDAR8, the world-leading conference on the environmental dimensions of AMR, coming to Brisbane from August 3-7, 2026. Hosted by SAAFE CRC, EDAR8 brings together global leaders across research, industry and policy to tackle one of the biggest health challenges of our time.

At EDAR8, groundbreaking science meets real-world solutions. It’s where bold ideas, cross-sector collaboration and practical action drive lasting impact for communities, industries and the planet.

EDAR8 ABSTRACTS

Submit your abstract for an oral or poster presentation and help shape the environmental AMR conversation.

With themes spanning agri-food, healthcare, water and waste management, wildlife, communities and One Health approaches, there are countless ways to contribute.
Submissions close: 27 February 2026

RESEARCHER IN FOCUS

Dr Sopheak Hem - SAAFE Postdoctoral Research Fellow 

Using her expertise in clinical microbiology, infectious diseases, genomic epidemiological microbiology and risk assessment, Dr Sopheak Hem is tackling the complex challenges of environmental AMR.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING NEWS

INTERESTED IN DOING A PhD?

Ecological Risks from Flood-borne Contaminants in Nonurban Landscapes

Want to work with a multidisciplinary team at the The University of Queensland and collaborate with the Environmental Protection Agency Victoria and Northern Arizona University on a project to quantify ecological risks from flood-borne contaminants in non-urban landscapes?

Apply now to work on this project which is supported by a scholarship including living stipend of $45K per year and tuition fees.

The successful candidate will benefit from SAAFE's research network and receive a dedicated $21K fund for personal development.

Horizontal gene transfer in waterborne bacteria with their protozoan hosts

This PhD project will investigate how protozoal predation affect the frequency and reveal why horizontal gene transfer (HGT)  is enhanced in protists. The project will also clarify if extracellular vesicles (from bacterial pathogens and/or free-living amoebae) persist through disinfection and at what rate enable HGT to downstream bacterial pathogens of concern or those within free-living amoebae.

The successful applicant will be based at UQ's Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology. The successful applicant will work closely with industry partner Calix Ltd, including completing a 12-month equivalent industry placement. They will also have access to world-class research facilities, funding opportunities for national and international conferences, and specialised training and development.

Digital Twins for Risk Assessment Monitoring

Want to work on a solution to the problem of fragmented, limited and constrained AMR datasets to drive practical, timely decision making? This PhD project explores the development of realistic synthetic data that mirrors the statistical properties of real-world agribusiness AMR data.

Synthetic data enables the parameterisation of robust and enhanced risk assessment models which can be tested and validated on a broad range of use cases, scenarios, and sectors. This will lead to enhanced, more accurate risk assessment and informed decision-making which can also reduce the need for extensive and expensive data collection efforts.

Apply now to work on this project which is supported by a scholarship including living stipend of $45K per year and tuition fees.

The successful candidate will benefit from SAAFE's research network and receive a dedicated $21K fund for personal development.

AMR OPPORTUNITIES 

PhD proposal applications 

SAAFE PhD proposal applications are now open. The SAAFE funding package offers:

• A top-up living allowance scholarship of up to $15k per year for 3.5 years FTE
• A professional development funding package of $21k per candidate for 3 years

Like SAAFE projects, PhD proposals should be driven by an identified industry need. Projects can be submitted under 3 categories:

• Student-proposed project
• University-proposed project
• Co-designed project with university and industry partner 

Please contact SAAFE's E&T Program Manager Dr Lisa Kirkland for more information.

Join our team: Lead World-class research in One Health AMR

Associate Research Professor or Research Professor role 

We’re partnering with UniSA STEM to recruit a senior research leader in One Health AMR who is passionate about innovation, mentorship, and shaping the future of AMR policy and practice.

This is your chance to contribute to our strong UniSA (soon Adelaide University) partnership and SAAFE’s leadership in antimicrobial resistance research.

Lead high-impact research in environmental microbiology, waterborne/foodborne disease, microbial ecology, and policy development. Build and mentor an internationally recognised research group, drive interdisciplinary collaborations and translate research into real-world solutions through SAAFE’s Living Labs program.

For more information or to apply, click here. 

WORLD AMR AWARENESS WEEK 2025

In this year’s World AMR Awareness Week (18–24 November), the WHO urged all countries to act now to turn political commitments into life-saving interventions. The annual campaign included many events designed to discuss, raise awareness of, and find ways to tackle AMR.

AMR NEWS

Keeping you informed of recent national and international announcements including the latest AMR policy and regulatory news.

• New Guidelines for Antibiotic Prescribing in Australian Wildlife have been developed by the AMR Vet Collective and Wildlife Health Australia. 
• To help speed up clinical trials and drug approvals, the European Medicines Agency is changing the way it provides scientific advice to developers of medicines for AMR and other public health threats.
• The European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) has launched the AMR portal to connect experimental and computational data on bacterial genomes, resistance phenotypes and functional annotations.
• A briefing on Antimicrobial resistance in European surface waters from the European Environment Agency calls for improved environmental monitoring to identify AMR hotspots, assess AMR spread, and gauge the effectiveness of interventions.

AMR SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS

SAAFE's research team has curated a selection of recent publications that may be of interest to our AMR community. 

Knight, R., Din, M.O., Salido, R., Wright, G., Brennan, C., Ambre, M., Hansen, L., et al. Versatile wastewater monitoring of pathogens and antimicrobial resistance enabled by metatranscriptomics and long-read metagenomics. Res Sq. (pre-print) 2025, Sep.

Shaffer, M., Oceguera Johnson, B. and Bibby, K.  2025.  pBI143 as a Process Indicator for Antibiotic Resistance Gene Removal through Activated Sludge Wastewater Treatment. ACS ES&T Water. 2025, Oct.

Pellissery AJ, Denagamage T, Pedersen M, Kariyawasam S. Veterinarians' Perspectives on the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Dashboard: A Survey of Needs and Preferences to Inform Development. Vet Sci. 2025 Sep 28

Fleischer L, Becker J, Kümmerlen D. Refining estimation of antimicrobial use at national level: A quantitative surveillance study processing data from the Swiss national reporting system. Prev Vet Med. 2026 Jan, Epub 2025 Nov 4.

SAAFE SUPPORTED EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

HEAL 2025 CONFERENCE

Several SAAFE team members joined the HEAL Network’s 5th annual international conference in November, contributing to a dynamic and inclusive program focused on “Weaving diverse knowledges into climate action for better health.” The event brought together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from across Australia and the Asia-Pacific to exchange ideas, insights and practical solutions.

SAAFE Research Director Professor Erica Donner featured in multiple sessions, including a panel on the public health impacts of the 2025 harmful algal bloom and as Chair of the breakout session on food, soil and water security in a changing environment.

Reflecting on the experience, SAAFE Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr Sopheak Hem said: “It was inspiring to see how health, environment and climate are connected, especially in the context of SA algal blooms.

"I really appreciated the discussions on One Health, ensuring the safety of our food, soil and water, supporting Indigenous knowledge, and helping communities make better decisions."

HEAL 2025 once again reinforced the value of collaboration, bringing diverse voices together to drive climate-aware, community-centred action for a healthier future.

WATER RA STUDENT ORIENTATION DAY

The WaterRA Student Orientation Day brought together an inspiring mix of emerging researchers and sector leaders, and SAAFE was proud to be part of it. 

SAAFE scholars Stephanie Faulks, Donna McCann, and Hoang Van Pham were formally introduced as new WaterRA students, with Stephanie delivering a high-level overview of her SAAFE-funded PhD project to fellow students and supervisors. Her presentation sparked strong interest and highlighted the importance of AMR-focused research in the water sector.

SAAFE’s Dr Kelly Hill and Dr Lisa Kirkland also took the stage as guest speakers, sharing insights into the program’s role in advancing antimicrobial resistance research and the value of collaborative, cross-disciplinary training.

Stephanie said, “Attending this event was an excellent opportunity to share my project with others (which was well received and piqued interest) and for building connections with other new WaterRA students.”

The day was a valuable step in building a connected, informed and enthusiastic WaterRA student community. SAAFE looks forward to supporting their journey.

EVENTS 

Please visit our conferences and meetings page for more details about the below industry and partner events.

• The Australian Virology Society Virtual Symposium and AGM - Tuesday December 9

• The Interdisciplinary Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance and Innovation - Wednesday January 28 - Friday January 30, Las Vegas

• CSIRO AMR 2026 Summit - Wednesday February 18 - Friday February 20, Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park

SAAFE SURVEY 

We value your input. This short survey is your chance to share feedback on SAAFE's newsletter. Your thoughts will help us improve our communications, to better serve our community and advance our One Health AMR mission.

Thank you for taking a few minutes to help shape the future of SAAFE.

SUBSCRIBE NOW 

To receive all the latest news and events, subscribe to SAAFE's mailing list.