Based at La Trobe University in Bendigo, Associate Professor Donna Whelan is the director of the Holsworth Biomedical Research Initiative (HBRI), a member of the La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science and the Rural Health School. Under Donna's leadership, the HBRI lab group develops and applies advanced fluorescence techniques to reveal the mechanisms of host-virus interactions, neurodegeneration, and cancer. In 2024, the HBRI moved into a brand-new lab space where they assembled two bespoke single molecule microscopes, capable of visualizing biology at the nanoscale and with single protein sensitivity. A third custom microscope has been designed for fast, super-resolved live-cell imaging with construction to be completed early in 2025. Combined with novel assays to manipulate and control sub-cellular events, these microscopes have revealed key new insights into how diseases begin. Prior to starting her own lab in Bendigo, Donna completed her PhD at Monash University, developing advanced microscopic and spectroscopic techniques for applications in biophysical research. During her PhD she constructed cutting-edge single molecule super-resolution microscopes and made extensive use of the Australian Synchrotron. Following this, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in New York University’s School of Medicine under the supervision of Dr Eli Rothenberg, focusing on applying super resolution imaging to map the cellular repair pathway of DNA double strand breaks.