HIV’s Greatest Disguise: The Search for a Virus in Hiding

Talks on Tuesdays is a live event series bringing big ideas, real experts, and curious minds together – at your favourite local venues. Think thought-provoking lectures, audience questions, and post-talk mingling over drinks and dinner.

This isn’t a uni lecture. It’s a social, intelligent night out.Come alone or with friends, leave with something to talk about.

Event Schedule:

6.30pm Arrival & Doors Open

7pm Lecuture Starts

7.45pm Q&A

8pm Talk Concludes

8.30pm Event Closes.

*Please arrive close to 6.30pm

A La Carte menu and full bar available throughout the night – pay as you go.

Your Topic:

HIV’s Greates Disguise: The Search for a Virus in Hiding

We know HIV can be treated, but why is it so difficult to cure? The answer lies in one of the virus’s most powerful tricks: hiding.

In this talk, PhD researcher Laura Rikard-Bell will explain how HIV can disappear inside the body’s own immune cells, remaining invisible for years before re-emerging. Through stories from the lab, surprising biology, and the science behind “latent” HIV infection, we’ll learn how researchers are trying to identify these hidden cells — and ultimately destroy them. Along the way: giant virus-eating immune cells, high-containment labs, the challenges of modern HIV research, and the unexpected path that led one almost-failed biology student into a PhD.

Your Speaker:

Laura is a PhD Candidate at the Burnet Institute and Monash University. She investigates ways to identify, target, and eliminate HIV-infected cells and how this knowledge can drive future cure strategies. Curious, articulate, and deeply invested in the future of global health, Laura offers an engaging perspective on how cutting‑edge immunology can shape the next generation of infectious disease solutions.