Female Trailblazers 
in AMR

Programme



Female trailblazers in AMR 

Trailblazers are pioneers; someone who 
forges forward where others do not, and sets 
the trail for others to follow.

It is estimated that there only 3000 
antimicrobial resistance (AMR) researchers, 
yet we are faced with the challenge of an 
increasing burden of drug-resistant infections 
and diminishing treatment pipelines. 

In 2024, the global community came 
together to drive collective action and sign 
a political declaration on AMR at the UN 
General Assembly meeting in New York. 
We now need to ensure we support those 
advocates and innovators who are helping to 
reduce the impact of AMR and halt the rising 
death rate and economic impact of drug-
resistant infections. 

Aims

The inaugural Female Trailblazers in AMR 
programme has been established by CSIRO, 
Australia’s national science agency, and 
the Fleming Initiative, an international 
AMR programme led out of the UK’s 
Imperial College London, to recognise the 
achievements of up to 20 women around the 
world who are leading and inspiring action 
on AMR.

The achievements of the Trailblazers will be 
celebrated and amplified through prominent 
profiles featured in a dedicated section of 
the Fleming Initiative website. 

These profiles will showcase the Trailblazers’ 
diverse expertise and contributions to 
minimising the impact of AMR and provide 
opportunities for them to connect with 
fellow experts, potential collaborators, and a 
global audience. 

By supporting these women we look to 
achieve four key goals:

• Increase the number of women working 
in AMR-related fields and therefore 
contribute to efforts to redress inequity 
seen within Science, Technology, 
Engineering, Arts, and Medical 
(STEAM) careers.
• Highlight pioneering work being 
undertaken across sectors and in 
regions not captured by traditional 
academic literature.
• Build a stronger, more inclusive, and 
supportive AMR community.
• Continue to raise awareness amongst 
the public of antimicrobial resistance 
and improve collaborative efforts in 
the AMR space.




Eligibility requirements

We welcome world-leading organisations to nominate women who are 
working to minimise AMR across disciplines and sectors that comprise a 
One Health approach (human, animal, and the environment). 

These include, but are not limited to:

• R&D
• surveillance
• clinical and behavioural sciences
• education
• communications
• ethics
• policy
• law 
• economics.


The work of the individual must be focussed on facets of AMR (including 
drug-resistant malaria and fungi) but not viral illnesses or general infectious 
diseases. 

To achieve our goals, we are currently only taking nominations for those 
who identify as female1.

Whilst we are not imposing geographic restrictions upon submissions, 
we encourage and will guide our expert panel to weight submissions to 
account for those who may be working in more resource-limited settings, or 
whose work looks to address inequity seen across and within populations 
with respect to AMR. 

For any queries about the eligibility criteria, and/or to check if an individual 
is eligible, please contact us.


“Throughout my career, I have always been 
committed to empowering women. 

I am inspired by the leadership of women all 
across the world, who are tackling AMR with 
their expertise, innovation and dedication. 

By celebrating and showcasing their efforts, 
I hope that we can inspire the next generation 
of women leaders in AMR.”

Professor Dame Sally Davies
UK Special Envoy on AMR
Patron, Female trailblazers in AMR

1 We use the term ‘identify as female’ to include cisgender women, transgender women, and other 
individuals whose lived experiences align with this gender identity.



Conditions

The Trailblazer finalists agree to be 
photographed, filmed and/or interviewed 
for non-commercial objectives and for 
Trailblazer-related purposes. These photos, 
videos and texts will be used in, but 
not limited to written press, television, 
internet, outdoor display, corporate 
publications, exhibitions. 

Trailblazer images can be used for the 
promotion of science among the younger 
generation, particularly young women. 
Each of the Trailblazers will sign a separate 
media release form. The Trailblazers will 
not receive any remuneration for such 
promotional activity.

Provisional Timetable

Nominations opening date: March 2025

Nominations closing date: July 2025

Assessment by the panel: September 2025

Announcement: November 2025

Initial nominating organisations 

• CSIRO
• The Fleming Initiative
• Access to Medicines Foundation
• AMR Insights BV
• CARB-X 
• LifeArc
• One Health Trust
• United Nations Foundation
• WHO Collaborating Centre for AMR, 
Doherty Institute, University of 
Melbourne


Individuals may be directly invited to apply 
by the Fleming Initiative and CSIRO.

Provisional process


Announcement 
Q3 2025 

Invitations to 
attend AMR 2025 
in Sydney

Nominations

Targeted 
database 
search

Rank per 
geography 
(Data)

Shortlist 
(Panel)

Final list 
(Panel)

For more information please contact:

info@fleminginitiative.org