Dr Erica Plummer is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Bioinformatician with the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre and the School of Translational Medicine, Monash University. Erica’s research aims to understand the contribution of the genital microbiome to common genital infections and STI syndromes, and she has a particular interest in investigating how interventions, behavioural practices, and sexual practices influence the genital microbiome.

Jessica Prodger is a Canada Research Chair in Genital Immunology and STI Prevention at Western University. In collaboration with the Rakai Health Sciences Program in Uganda, her research aims to understand how the genital microbiota influences local host immune responses and thus susceptibility to pathogenic genital infections.

Dr Willa Huston is Associate Dean Teaching and Learning and research group leader at the Faculty of Science, UTS. Her research is on molecular microbiology of the pathogen Chlamydia, the microbiome, and immune responses. She is interested how STI can progress into sequelae such as infertility and PID in women.

Smritee Dabee is a researcher at the University of British Columbia Women's Health Research Institute. Her research, which started at the Seattle Children's Research Institute and the University of Cape Town, focuses on the relationship between the genital milieu and STI susceptibility. Smritee has a particular interest in investigating the dynamics surrounding vaginal bacterial and fungal communities, inflammation, contraceptive use, and sexually transmitted infections.