Meet our 40 Under 40: Taking the fight to superbugs
For the next two weeks, InDaily will take a closer look at some of the 2025 40 Under 40. Today, meet the winner of the Discovery Award.
Superbugs are predicted to kill 10 million people annually by 2050, but biomedical researcher Katharina Richter is leading a team to change that.
Superbugs are antibiotic-resistant bacteria for which the Richter Lab at The University of Adelaide is developing new treatments, including collaborating with veterinary and food scientists to develop sanitisers to improve animal wellbeing, decontamination processes, and create safer, sustainable food production.
Richter has earned a reputation as an expert biomedical researcher and has managed millions in research funding, including $3 million she secured herself in a highly competitive environment that has a success rate of about five per cent.
The researcher won the CMAX-sponsored Discovery Award, which recognises a person who has led an innovative research project that has had a multi-disciplinary and business impact on the future health sector.
CMAX CFO Nicholas Lee said it was an honour to present the Discovery Award to Richter.
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“The award recipient is not just a researcher – she is an entrepreneur, mentor, and changemaker,” Lee said.
“Her work is redefining how we treat superbug infections, bridging medicine, science, and industry to drive real-world solutions.
“She is leading the charge in biomedical innovation, with her mission being to make lifesaving treatments accessible to all.”
Richter joined a cohort of 39 of the state’s young leaders at a gala dinner in June.
Read about the full 2025 40 Under 40 list here.
