Dr. Joshua Hayward is a Research Team Leader in Bat Viruses and Antiviral Factors, working within the Retroviral Biology and Antivirals Laboratory, led by Prof. Gilda Tachedjian, at the Burnet Institute in Melbourne. His active research includes the identification and characterisation of novel retroviruses in bats and their interactions with host antiviral defences, and understanding the impact of the vaginal microbiome and bacterial metabolites on susceptibility to viral infection.