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I grew up in Adelaide, South Australia, and have had a love of animals and natural history from as early as I can remember. The son of a biologist, I was a conscript on many native mammal and reptile survey trips to central and southern Australia in my early years that seeded my enthusiasm for wildlife and science.
I graduated from Murdoch University’s veterinary school in 1996, and worked in private practice in Australia and the UK for several years, developing an interest in avian, reptile and wildlife medicine. I followed this interest in 2001 when I began an MSc in wild animal health at the Royal Veterinary College and Institute of Zoology in London. This course gave me the opportunity to focus my interests on wildlife disease and conservation medicine. My MSc thesis involved the development of an ELISA test to detect antibodies to Hendra virus in flying fox serum.
After completion of the MSc I did contract veterinary work at several zoos in England and Australia before returning to study flying fox viruses in June last year, when I commenced my PhD.
My PhD project involves molecular genetics and satellite tracking of flying foxes, as well as surveying flying fox populations for the presence of henipaviruses. I’m using the information gained to develop a risk assessment of Nipah virus entering Australia.
I particularly enjoy the fact that this project allows me to investigate a wildlife disease of significance to human and domestic animal health, participate in scientific endeavour both in the lab and in the field, collaborate with an excellent group of people and travel to interesting places to catch bats.
I’m excited about the next couple of years and hope to gain valuable experience and skills as well as contributing to a greater understanding of wildlife disease ecology and its links to human and domestic animal health.
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