Senior Research Fellow (currently HOT NORTH Early Career Fellow)
BSc PhD
Dr Janessa Pickering is a research microbiologist with expertise in the molecular diagnostics and host pathogen interactions of upper respiratory tract pathogens that cause disease in children. Her PhD investigated the molecular microbiology of middle ear infection (UWA) and she has since worked in several postdoctoral roles at the Telethon Kids Institute.
Dr Pickering joined the Skin Health team in 2019 as an WAHTN Early Career Fellow to develop laboratory diagnostics for Strep A. Her research is focussed on the colonisation and infection of Strep A in paediatric populations, and her research intersects with the large cohort and clinical trials occurring in the Skin Health, Australian Strep A Vaccine Initiative and Rheumatic Heart Disease teams.
Dr Pickering completed the Stanford Bio-Design course in 2016 and she maintains an interest in research commercialisation, particularly technologies enabling diagnostic solutions in resource-poor settings.