Dr. Bethany Horsburgh

Biography

Bethany Horsburgh is an early career researcher with a passion for understanding genomes and viruses that are important for human health. She completed her Bachelor of Science (Advanced) with Honours in 2016 at the University of Sydney, majoring in Immunobiology, and obtained her PhD in 2020 from the Westmead Institute for Medical Research. Currently, she leads the viral sequencing component of a $6.2 million Medical Research Future Fund pathogen genomics grant (H2Seq), working in diagnostic laboratories across Australia. Her work aims to implement newly developed methods in viral sequencing to help track the HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) epidemic, supporting the goals for elimination by 2030. Notably, her research has led to the identification of a novel Hendra virus variant, which resulted in changes to diagnostic procedures and enabled the identification of a southerly case of Hendra virus infection in Australia. In 2025, her efforts as part of H2Seq are expected to lead to the implementation of routine HCV sequencing in New South Wales, underpinning a newly established national Quality Assurance Program. Bethany is also the current Secretary of the Australian Centre for Hepatitis Virology and a founding member of the Kirby Institute Early Mid-Career Academic Network (KEMCAN), as well as a member of the ally@UNSW Mental Health Network at UNSW.

Research Interests