Hi Hamish, Professor Currie works for the Menzies School of Health Research which is situated at Royal Darwin Hospital, has links to Charles Darwin, Flinders & Sydney Universities & the Department of Health & Community Services & Aboriginal medical services, & its research is funded by government & private grants.

MSHR’s mission is said to be ‘to improve the health of people of northern & central Australia & regions to the near north through multidisciplinary research & education by:

• Promoting a broad understanding of health that reflects underlying socioeconomic, environmental, health system and biological factors as determinants of health and disease.
  

• Conducting high quality multidisciplinary research, research training and public health education with a focus on Indigenous, remote and tropical health.
  

• Advancing the local, national and international application of research findings to improve health.
  

• Advocating for research that will contribute to better health for people of the region.
  

• Building strong partnerships with community groups, service providers, policy-makers, and other academic organisations.
  

I wonder what the MSHR Ethics Committee thinks about Professor Currie’s 'chemical warfare' links?

John & Hamish - Bart Currie won't be involved in biological weapons. It is likely they have tapped into research with the Americans, on a vaccine, on basic ecology, or into methods of bulk inactivation of germs.

Mind you, there will be military applications (ie, protection of personnel) but that's where the money is. Similar to Bill Gates ploughing his money into malaria research.