Dr Francesca D Frentiu

Dr Francesca D. Frentiu is Research Group Leader in the School of Biomedical Sciences at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia. Dr Frentiu’s research interests lie in understanding the emergence of arboviruses, specifically dengue, chikungunya and Zika. Dr Frentiu’s research has contributed to the development of Wolbachia-based biocontrol of mosquitoes to reduce dengue transmission. She is particularly interested in how viruses interact with their mosquito vectors, and how this interaction can be exploited for biocontrol of human pathogens and preventing outbreaks. A current focus is understanding how climate change will influence the transmission of arboviruses. Dr Frentiu has been awarded prestigious competitive grants and industry collaborative grants. She has published in prestigious international journals such as Nature, PNAS, Molecular Biology and Evolution, and PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.