The Kumar Group is delighted to congratulate Vidi Nuraini on representing our research team at the UNSW Science 2026 Postgraduate Research Showcase, where she participated in both the One Minute Thesis (1MT) and Poster Competition under the theme "Building a Liveable and Healthy Future."
The Postgraduate Research Showcase celebrates outstanding research across the Faculty of Science, highlighting innovative projects that address some of society's most pressing challenges. Vidi's participation reflects her commitment to advancing solutions for one of the greatest threats to modern medicine—antimicrobial resistance.
In her engaging and accessible 1MT presentation, titled "Superbug versus Superhero—Who Will Win?", Vidi captivated the audience by transforming a complex global health challenge into a compelling story. Drawing inspiration from her six-year-old son's favourite bedtime book, Microbe Wars by Gill Arbuthnott, she explained how humanity has long been engaged in an invisible battle against disease-causing microbes. She highlighted the growing crisis of antibiotic resistance, where bacterial infections are becoming increasingly difficult to treat, leading to prolonged hospitalisations, rising healthcare costs, and increased mortality worldwide.
Vidi then showcased how her research contributes to addressing this urgent problem. Her work focuses on the development of indole-based antimicrobial peptide mimics, a new class of molecules designed to emulate the membrane-disrupting properties of naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides. By targeting bacterial membranes, these compounds offer a promising strategy to overcome conventional mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and support the development of next-generation antimicrobial therapeutics.
Her presentation concluded with a memorable question:
"So, who will win? My research is one step toward helping the superhero win."
The Kumar Group is immensely proud of Vidi for communicating the significance of her research with both scientific excellence and genuine enthusiasm. Her ability to bridge rigorous medicinal chemistry with an engaging public narrative exemplifies the importance of science communication in translating cutting-edge research into societal impact.
We congratulate Vidi for representing the Group with professionalism, creativity, and passion. We look forward to seeing her research continue to contribute to the global fight against antimicrobial resistance.