Overview
Background
Dr Lord currently leads the Lord lab within the School of the Environment at the University of Queensland. The Lord lab research focuses on developing novel and rapid next generation surveillance and diagnostic tools for detection of pathogens in humans, animals and the environment and for characterising disease carrying vectors. Their current specialisation include the development of non-invasive tools based on spectroscopy techniques. Dr Lord pioneered the application of near-infrared spectroscopy technique for non-invasive detection of several pathogens in mosquito vectors such as Wolbachia, Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya and for differentiation of morphologically identical mosquito species. Her lab recently pioneered its application for non-invasive detection of malaria through tthe skin of people in partnership with the Australian Defence Force and Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Brazil.
In the last 5 years, the Lord team attracted multi-site, national and international research funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID, NHMRC, AQIRF and Grand challenges Canada as the Chief Investigator to develop rapid tools for large scale surveillance of vector control programs
Current Research interests: Development of spectroscopy tools for ports of entry for rapid identification of exotic insect species, detection of pathogens in humans and the environment
STEM Spotlight is a STEM mentorship program directed by Dr Lord whose main aim is to provide a safe and engaging space for students from CALD communities to engage in STEM activities at UQ.The program aims to encourage Students from CALD Backgrounds to pursue STEM career options. In 2023 Dr Lord was awarded Diversity and Inclusion Champion award by the Department of Multicultural affairs for this work (Diversity and Inclusion Champion award 2023).
The next STEM Spotlight event will be held at UQ St Lucia campus on the 22nd Nov, 2024. If your school would like to participate in this event, please fill in the expression of interest form Here
Availability
- Dr Maggy Lord is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, Griffith University
Research interests
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Mosquitoes of medical importance
Characterization of mosquito population to determine disease transmission capability
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Mosquito-borne disease
Development of rapid and non-invasive diagnostic tools
Research impacts
Our team develops rapid and non-invasive novel surveillance and diagnostic tools for multiple infectious diseases for humans and the environment. We collaborate with scientists from Fiocruz, CDC, USDA, JCU, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (Brazil), Australian Defence Force, and Kenya Medical Research Institute. We focus on testing the applicability of next generation tools using rapid, high throughput, cost effective and user friendly light-based, spectroscopy devices. These tools are intended to inform public health personnel in a timely manner, on the effectiveness of an intervention, guide ellimination and predict potential disease hotspots to stop a possible outbreak.
Works
Search Professor Maggy Lord’s works on UQ eSpace
2020
Journal Article
Visible-near infrared spectroscopy for detection of blood in sheep faeces
Kho, Elise A., Fernandes, Jill N., Kotze, Andrew C., Fox, Glen P., Lord, Maggy, Beasley, Anne M., Moore, Stephen S. and James, Peter J. (2020). Visible-near infrared spectroscopy for detection of blood in sheep faeces. Journal of Near Infrared Spectroscopy, 28 (5-6), 255-266. doi: 10.1177/0967033520927519
2020
Journal Article
Near-infrared spectroscopy evaluations for the differentiation of carbapenem-resistant from susceptible enterobacteriaceae strains
Alharbi, Bushra, Sikulu-Lord, Maggy, Lord, Anton, Zowawi, Hosam M. and Trembizki, Ella (2020). Near-infrared spectroscopy evaluations for the differentiation of carbapenem-resistant from susceptible enterobacteriaceae strains. Diagnostics, 10 (10) 736, 1-9. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics10100736
2020
Journal Article
An autoencoder and artificial neural network-based method to estimate parity status of wild mosquitoes from near-infrared spectra
Milali, Masabho P., Kiware, Samson S., Govella, Nicodem J., Okumu, Fredros, Bansal, Naveen, Bozdag, Serdar, Charlwood, Jacques D., Maia, Marta F., Ogoma, Sheila B., Dowell, Floyd E., Corliss, George F., Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T. and Povinelli, Richard J. (2020). An autoencoder and artificial neural network-based method to estimate parity status of wild mosquitoes from near-infrared spectra. PLoS ONE, 15 (6) e0234557, e0234557. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234557
2020
Journal Article
Detection of Haemonchus contortus nematode eggs in sheep faeces using near and mid-infrared spectroscopy
Kho, Elise A., Fernandes, Jill N., Kotze, Andrew C., Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T., Fox, Glen P., Beasley, Anne M., Moore, Stephen S. and James, Peter J. (2020). Detection of Haemonchus contortus nematode eggs in sheep faeces using near and mid-infrared spectroscopy. Journal of Near Infrared Spectroscopy, 28 (5-6), 096703352092449-254. doi: 10.1177/0967033520924491
2020
Conference Publication
Shining a light on Haemonchus contortus in sheep
Kho, Elise, Fernandes, Jill, Kotze, Andrew, Lord, Maggy, Fox, Glen, Beasley, Anne, Moore, Stephen and James, Peter (2020). Shining a light on Haemonchus contortus in sheep. 3rd International Tropical Agriculture Conference (TROPAG 2019), Brisbane, Australia, 11–13 November 2019. Basel, Switzerland: MDPI. doi: 10.3390/proceedings2019036138
2019
Journal Article
Detection of malaria parasites in dried human blood spots using mid-infrared spectroscopy and logistic regression analysis
Mwanga, Emmanuel P., Minja, Elihaika G., Mrimi, Emmanuel, Jiménez, Mario González, Swai, Johnson K., Abbasi, Said, Ngowo, Halfan S., Siria, Doreen J., Mapua, Salum, Stica, Caleb, Maia, Marta F., Olotu, Ally, Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T., Baldini, Francesco, Ferguson, Heather M., Wynne, Klaas, Selvaraj, Prashanth, Babayan, Simon A. and Okumu, Fredros O. (2019). Detection of malaria parasites in dried human blood spots using mid-infrared spectroscopy and logistic regression analysis. Malaria Journal, 18 (1) 341, 341. doi: 10.1186/s12936-019-2982-9
2019
Journal Article
Age grading An. gambiae and An. arabiensis using near infrared spectra and artificial neural networks
Milali, Masabho P., Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T., Kiware, Samson S., Dowell, Floyd E., Corliss, George F. and Povinelli, Richard J. (2019). Age grading An. gambiae and An. arabiensis using near infrared spectra and artificial neural networks. PLoS One, 14 (8) e0209451, e0209451. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209451
2019
Conference Publication
Developing alternative surveillance methods, from the near infrared spectroscopy to predict zika infection on aedes aegypti, to metagenomics to detect the invasion of new arboviruses and haplotypes
Pavan, Marcio G., Garcia, Gabriela A., Santos, Lilha M., David, Mariana R., Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T., Martins, Ademir J., Powell, Jeffrey R., Mason, Cristopher E. and Maciel-de-Freitas, Rafael (2019). Developing alternative surveillance methods, from the near infrared spectroscopy to predict zika infection on aedes aegypti, to metagenomics to detect the invasion of new arboviruses and haplotypes. 68th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), National Harbor, MD, United States, 20-24 November, 2019. Deerfield, IL, United States: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.abstract2019
2019
Conference Publication
Rapid Identification of Bacterial Species with a Beam of Light
AlHarbi, B., Lord, M. and Zowawi, H. (2019). Rapid Identification of Bacterial Species with a Beam of Light. GCCMID 2018, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 7-10 November 2018. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.jiph.2018.10.079
2019
Conference Publication
Detection of arboviruses and parasites in mosquito vectors with a beam of light
Sikulu-Lord, Maggy, Garcia, Gabriela A., Santos, Lilha M., Fernandes, Jill N., Dowell, Floyd E. and Maciel-De-Freitas, Rafael (2019). Detection of arboviruses and parasites in mosquito vectors with a beam of light. 68th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), National Harbor, MD, United States, 20-24 November, 2019. Deerfield, IL, United States: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.abstract2019
2018
Journal Article
First report of natural Wolbachia infection in the malaria mosquito Anopheles arabiensis in Tanzania
Baldini, Francesco, Rougé, Justine, Kreppel, Katharina, Mkandawile, Gustave, Mapua, Salum Abdallah, Sikulu-Lord, Maggy, Ferguson, Heather M., Govella, Nicodem and Okumu, Fredros O. (2018). First report of natural Wolbachia infection in the malaria mosquito Anopheles arabiensis in Tanzania. Parasites and Vectors, 11 (1) 635, 635. doi: 10.1186/s13071-018-3249-y
2018
Journal Article
First report on the application of near-infrared spectroscopy to predict the age of Aedes albopictus Skuse
Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T., Devine, Gregor J., Hugo, Leon E. and Dowell, Floyd E. (2018). First report on the application of near-infrared spectroscopy to predict the age of Aedes albopictus Skuse. Scientific Reports, 8 (1) 9590, 9590. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-27998-7
2018
Journal Article
Do NIR spectra collected from laboratory-reared mosquitoes differ from those collected from wild mosquitoes?
Milali, Masabho P., Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T., Kiware, Samson S., Dowell, Floyd E., Povinelli, Richard J. and Corliss, George F. (2018). Do NIR spectra collected from laboratory-reared mosquitoes differ from those collected from wild mosquitoes?. PloS One, 13 (5) e0198245, e0198245. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198245
2018
Journal Article
Rapid, noninvasive detection of Zika virus in mosquitoes by near-infrared spectroscopy
Fernandes, Jill N., Dos Santos, Lílha M. B., Chouin-Carneiro, Thaís, Pavan, Márcio G., Garcia, Gabriela A., David, Mariana R., Beier, John C., Dowell, Floyd E., Maciel-de-Freitas, Rafael and Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T. (2018). Rapid, noninvasive detection of Zika virus in mosquitoes by near-infrared spectroscopy. Science Advances, 4 (5) eaat0496, eaat0496. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aat0496
2018
Journal Article
Potential benefits of combining transfluthrin-treated sisal products and long-lasting insecticidal nets for controlling indoor-biting malaria vectors
Masalu, John P., Okumu, Fredros O., Mmbando, Arnold S., Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T. and Ogoma, Sheila B. (2018). Potential benefits of combining transfluthrin-treated sisal products and long-lasting insecticidal nets for controlling indoor-biting malaria vectors. Parasites and Vectors, 11 (231) 231, 231. doi: 10.1186/s13071-018-2811-y
2018
Journal Article
Monitoring the age of mosquito populations using near-infrared spectroscopy
Lambert, Ben, Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T., Mayagaya, Vale S, Devine, Greg, Dowell, Floyd and Churcher, Thomas S (2018). Monitoring the age of mosquito populations using near-infrared spectroscopy. Scientific Reports, 8 (1) 5274, 5274. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-22712-z
2018
Conference Publication
Determining species of field-collected mosquitoes using near-infrared spectroscopy
Esperanca, Pedro, Da, Dari, Some, Bernard, Sikulu-Lord, Maggy, Yerbanga, R., Lefevre, Thierry, Mouline, Karine, Werme, Karidia, Dowell, Floyd, Dabire, Roch and Churcher, Thomas (2018). Determining species of field-collected mosquitoes using near-infrared spectroscopy. 67th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTHM), New Orleans, LA, United States, 28 Oct - 1 Nov, 2018. Deerfield, IL, United States: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.abstract2018
2018
Conference Publication
IDENTIFICATION OF <it>PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM</it>-INFECTIOUS <it>ANOPHELES COLUZZII</it> MOSQUITOES USING NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY
Da, Dari, Esperanc, Pedro, Some, Bernard, Sikulu-Lord, Maggy, Yerbanga, R., Lefevre, Thierry, Mouline, Karine, Werme, Karidia, Dowell, Floyd, Dabire, Roch and Churcher, Thomas (2018). IDENTIFICATION OF PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM-INFECTIOUS ANOPHELES COLUZZII MOSQUITOES USING NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY. 67th Annual Meeting of the American-Society-of-Tropical-Medicine-and-Hygiene (ASTHM), New Orleans La, Oct 28-Nov 01, 2018. MCLEAN: AMER SOC TROP MED & HYGIENE.
2017
Journal Article
Efficacy and user acceptability of transfluthrin-treated sisal and hessian decorations for protecting against mosquito bites in outdoor bars
Masalu, John P., Finda, Marceline, Okumu, Fredros O., Minja, Elihaika G., Mmbando, Arnold S., Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T. and Ogoma, Sheila B. (2017). Efficacy and user acceptability of transfluthrin-treated sisal and hessian decorations for protecting against mosquito bites in outdoor bars. Parasites and Vectors, 10 (1) 197. doi: 10.1186/s13071-017-2132-6
2017
Journal Article
Bites before and after bedtime can carry a high risk of human malaria infection
Milali, Masabho P., Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T. and Govella, Nicodem J. (2017). Bites before and after bedtime can carry a high risk of human malaria infection. Malaria Journal, 16 (1) 91. doi: 10.1186/s12936-017-1740-0
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Maggy Lord is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Available projects
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Mosquito microbiome and pathogen interaction
This PhD project aims to assess the role of probiotics as a potential transmission blocking tool for arboviruses and parasites transmitted by mosquitoes. Interested students will analyse the interaction of the mosquito microbiome and various pathogens
Supervision history
Completed supervision
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2024
Doctor Philosophy
Detection of malaria and arboviruses with spectroscopy and machine learning techniques
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Ricardo Soares Magalhaes, Dr Silvia Ciocchetta
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2024
Doctor Philosophy
Exploring diagnostic approaches and quality assurance data for improved management of gonorrhoea antimicrobial resistance
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor David Whiley, Dr Emma Sweeney, Dr Ella Trembizki
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Detecting Haemonchus contortus infection in sheep using infrared spectroscopy
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Adjunct Professor Andrew Kotze, Dr Anne Beasley
Media
Enquiries
Contact Dr Maggy Lord directly for media enquiries about:
- infrared spectroscopy
- malaria
- Mosquitoes
- non-invasive diagnostic tools
- surveillance
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