Paul Horwood

A/Prof Paul Horwood is an Associate Professor, Virology and Viral Diseases, in the College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, Townsville campus.

Paul’s research is focused on emerging tropical diseases in the Asia-Pacific region, including research into understanding the molecular epidemiology of tropical diseases and improving laboratory diagnostics. As a virologist with strong skills in molecular biology, bacteriology and public health, he has led multidisciplinary teams in challenging developing country settings in Papua New Guinea and Cambodia.

Paul conducts ‘One-Health’ research on the transmission of zoonotic diseases in high-risk interfaces where humans, domestic animals and wildlife interact. He also conducts research to better understand the wildlife and environmental reservoirs of important outbreak-prone diseases.

Paul previously worked for 3 years (2013-2016) at the Institut Pasteur in Cambodia as the Deputy-Head of Virology Unit. In this role, Paul was also the Director of the WHO H5 Reference Laboratory and National Influenza Centre. Paul continues research activities in Cambodia and Laos with projects focused on the emergence and persistence of avian influenza viruses in live bird markets and investigating the emergence of zoonotic pathogens from high-risk settings such as wildlife animal markets and areas undergoing rapid land-use change.

Paul worked at the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research for 4 years (from 2010-2013) as a Principal Research Fellow. He established a successful research group, the Environmental and Emerging Diseases Unit, to investigate the epidemiology of outbreak-prone diseases. Paul’s research group investigated and described maiden outbreaks of chikungunya and cholera in Papua New Guinea. While in Papua New Guinea, Paul was Head of the WHO National Influenza Centre and also coordinated national surveillance for rotavirus.

Paul embraces cross-disciplinary research, using laboratory, clinical and social research tools to improve our understanding of important diseases in low-income settings. He has ongoing research activities in numerous tropical developing countries including Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Cambodia and Laos.

Current grants

Principal investigator: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Ideas Grant: Understanding the establishment and persistence of community associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) in resource-limited. high burden settings: How can we reduce the burden of disease? (2022-2024)

Co-investigator: Wildlife Health Australia, National Avian Influenza Wild Bird Surveillance: Monitoring of avian influenza in samples collected from aquatic birds in North Queensland (2021-2022)

Co-investigator: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Global Grand Challenges: Determining the ‘Environmental Typhoid Mary’, and Conditions that Favour Persistence (2019-2021)

Co-investigator: Woolworths Centre for Childhood Nutrition Research: Large-scale identification of maternal biomarkers indicative of infant risk for disease susceptibility (2019-2023)

Co-investigator: Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR): A one-health approach to establish surveillance strategies for Japanese encephalitis and zoonotic arboviruses in Papua New Guinea (2019-2021)

Co-investigator: Global Challenges Research Fund, UK Research and Innovation: CANARIES: Consortium of Animal market Networks to Assess Risks of emerging Infectious diseases through Enhanced Surveillance (2019-2020)

Co-investigator: COCKPI-T Grant, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company: SPECiFIC - Study of Pathobionts of Enterobacteriaceae in a Cohort Focusing on IBD-patients and Controls (2018-2020)

Associate investigator: Australian Government, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Stronger Systems for Health Security: Stronger Surveillance and Systems Support for Rapid Identification and Containment of Resurgent or Resistant Vector Borne Pathogens in Papua New Guinea (2019-2021)

Principal investigator: HOT NORTH pilot project grant, Menzies School of Health Research: Genomics for Undiagnosed Infectious Disease Evaluation and Diagnosis in Northern Australia (2017-2019)

Co-investigator: FNQ Hospitals Foundation: Influence of maternal pathogen infections in the composition of the infant gut microbiome and immune health (2018-2019)

Co-investigator: Vedanta Biosciences: The Gut Microbiota of Children in Papua New Guinea and Susceptibility to Gastrointestinal Infections (2017-2019)

Research group

Postdoc: Dr Elisheba Malau

PhD student: Frida Sparaciari

PhD student: Alex Adikwu

PhD student: Rebecca Vinit

PhD student: Kate Parrish

PhD student: Andrew Adamu

PhD student: Casey Toft

PhD student: Juciliane Haidamak

PhD student: Estefania Erazo Mera

PhD student: Donald Tahani (Federation University)

Masters student: Robyn Pearce

Former students:

God'spower Okoh (PhD), Elisheba Malau (PhD), Annika Suttie (PhD), Huy Sreang Heng (PharmD), Sopheak Thet (PharmD), Jill-Lea Ramassamy (MPH), Deirdre Collins (MID), Marinjho Jonduo (Hons), Grace Bande (Hons), Monalisa Kas (Hons), Valentine Siba (Hons)