Dr Samantha Nixon is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at The University of Queensland, Australia. A self-described former arachnophobe and now a passionate advocate for the ecological and biomedical value of spiders, she completed her PhD at UQ exploring spider venoms as a rich source for antiparasitic drug discovery. Dr Nixon subsequently undertook postdoctoral research at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where she investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying resistance to marine neurotoxins. Her current research integrates multiomics, mass spectrometry, electrophysiology, ecology, and biochemistry to uncover the chemical biology of toxins and their molecular targets. By examining both toxin activity and natural resistance mechanisms across diverse and often non‑model organisms, she aims to harness these systems for innovative biomedical applications. She is particularly focused on developing new tools and assays that expand the toolkit for studying toxin–target interactions beyond traditional model species. Dr Nixon is a passionate science communicator across TV, radio, print and digital media. She has been recognized for her scientific leadership and excellence with the Queensland Women in STEM Prize, Australian Women in Technology Young Science Achiever Award, German Green Talent Award, and competitive fellowships from the Westpac Scholars Foundation and Burroughs-Wellcome Trust.