An Australian National University research team has been named a finalist in this year’s Australian Museum Eureka Prizes for developing forensic techniques to rapidly detect dangerous new drugs.

The ANU Testing Traces team has been shortlisted for the University of Technology Sydney and Australian Federal Police Eureka Prize for Excellence in Forensic Science for its work analysing samples from Canberra’s pill testing service.

Since 2022, the researchers have identified several new psychoactive substances, including world-first detections of novel stimulant drugs and synthetic opioids, allowing health authorities to issue public warnings within hours.

The winners of the 2026 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes will be announced in Sydney on September 3.

News all day, every day at CityNewsQBN.com.au.