Julia is a PhD student specialising in molecular modelling and simulations to investigate viral pathologies and epigenetic effects of histone deacetylase inhibitors. She completed an honours project studying the anti-inflammatory effects of dietary compounds through the University of Melbourne, followed by a Masters by Research at RMIT University focusing on dietary antioxidants as cyclooxygenase modulators.

Her current PhD research explores the effect of synthetic and dietary compounds on human health and disease and her research interests include drug discovery and its potential applications in antiviral and epigenetics research.