Our staff and students work on projects that bridge from fundamental studies of molecular biology, pathogenesis and epidemiology, through to applied studies on vaccine and diagnostic test development.
They have been the recipients of multiple awards from national and international veterinary and scientific organisations, including:
- Animal Health Australia Ralph Hood Award (Simon Firestone)
- Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (Joanne Devlin)
- Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (Nadeeka Wawegama, Simon Firestone, Sang Won Lee, Laura Hardefeldt)
- Australian Research Council Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (Joanne Devlin, Amir Noormohammadi)
- Australian Veterinary Association President’s Award (James Gilkerson)
- Clunies Ross Medal of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (Kevin Whithear)
- Derrick Edward Award of the International Organisation for Mycoplasmology (Philip Markham)
- Ed Addison Distinguished Service Award of the Wildlife Disease Association (Pam Whiteley)
- Emmy Klieneberger-Nobel Award of the International Organisation for Mycoplasmology (Glenn Browning)
- Equine Veterinarians Australia Award for Excellence (Laura Hardefeldt)
- Fellowship of the Australian Veterinary Association (James Gilkerson, Glenn Browning)
- Founders Award of the International Organisation for Mycoplasmology (Glenn Browning)
- Gilruth Prize of the Australian Veterinary Association (Kevin Whithear)
- Houghton Trust Lecture Award by the World Veterinary Poultry Association (Amir Noormohammadi)
- Ian Clunies Ross Memorial Award of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists (Joanne Devlin, Glenn Browning)
- Kesteven Medal of the Australian Veterinary Association (Charles El Hage, Colin Wilks)
- Lohmann and K. A. Schatt Award for Outstanding Research in Marek's Disease /Infectious Laryngotracheitis Prevention (Mauricio Coppo)
- Meritorious Service Award of the Australian Veterinary Association (Joanne Devlin, James Gilkerson, Glenn Browning)
- Reginald R Pascoe Prize of Equine Veterinarians Australia (Kirsten Bailey)
- Norm Larkin Prize of Equine Veterinarians Australia (Kirsten Bailey)
- Sir Philip Payne-Gallwey Bursary from the Animal Health Trust (Joanne Allen)
- Science and Innovation Award for Young People in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Christina Marth, Anne Watt, Nadeeka Wawegama, Joanne Devlin)
- Spirit of the South African Equine Veterinary Association Award (James Gilkerson)
- Victorian Chicken Industry Person of the Year (Amir Noormohammadi)
- VESKI Victoria Fellowship (Paola Vaz, Alistair Legione, Joanne Devlin)
Academic staff
Songhua Shan
Graduate researchers
Kona Adhikary
The epidemiology of foot and mouth disease in Indonesia
kadhikary@student.unimelb.edu.au
Anam Afzal
Exploring the interconnectedness of dairy farming, household nutrition & health; a One-Health approach in smallholder farming households of Pakistan
afzal.a@unimelb.edu.au
Dr Jemima Amery-Gale
Prospects for Immunocontraceptive Control of Felis catus in Australia
jemima.amerygale@unimelb.edu.au
Shamali Pabasara Antoni Baduge
Feline alpha herpesvirus 1 (FHV 1) vectored immunocontraceptive vaccines
santonibadug@student.unimelb.edu.au
Aqsa Batool
How do kangaroo herpesviruses ‘jump' to new host species
batool.a@student.unimelb.edu.au
Anni Blanch
The use of horses retired from racing: a study of health conditions and owner satisfaction
blanch.a@unimelb.edu.au
Kimberley Carey
The humoral response of foals to Hendra virus vaccination
careyk@student.unimelb.edu.au
Guihua Chen
Recombination, evolution, and pathogenesis of equine picornaviruses
guihuac@student.unimelb.edu.au
Kara Dawson
Integrated tools for Johne’s Disease control in New Zealand dairy herds
kara.dawson@student.unimelb.edu.au
Tilini De Silva
The development of microRNA (miRNA) Biomarker-based diagnostics for the vector-borne diseases
tilinikausha@student.unimelb.edu.au
Yasodhara Deepachandi Gunasekara
Understanding Antimicrobial Stewardship by Livestock Veterinarians in Australia
yasodhara.gunasekara@unimelb.edu.au
Himali Disanayaka
In vitro co-infection dynamics of herpesviral and bacterial pathogens in chicken hosts
hhdisanayaka@student.unimelb.edu.au
Dilhani Ekanayake
Determining Functions of Membrane Proteins of Mycoplasma gallisepticum
emdilhanimah@student.unimelb.edu.au
Mina Farzaneh
Assessment of efficacy and potential consequences of using antimicrobial agents for prophylaxis in young horses during sales preparation
mfarzaneh@student.unimelb.edu.au
Dinusha Gangoda Elapathage
Establishment of an in vitro model for investigating mastitis in ruminants
dgangodaelap@student.unimelb.edu.au
Moinul Hasan
Risk factors for and drivers of canine rabies transmission: challenges for control and elimination
moinulh@student.unimelb.edu.au
Laura Henderson
Acquired idiopathic megaoesophagus in Australian adult dogs
lhenderson1@student.unimelb.edu.au
Putu Henrywaesa Sudipa
Addressing Agricultural Challenges: Farmer Awareness of Antimicrobial Resistance, ESBL Bacteria, and Infectious Diseases in Broiler Chicken Farming in Bali, Indonesia
psudipa@student.unimelb.edu.au
Md. Sirazul Islam
Evolution and recombination of Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus (ILTV)
mdsirazuli@student.unimelb.edu.au
Amin Kawarizadeh
Investigation of Antibiotic Resistance Pattern and Integrons Role in Mediating Antibiotic Resistance Among Equine Klebsiella and Pseudomonas Isolates from Australia
a.kawarizadeh@unimelb.edu.au
Dr Holly Lambert
Enhancing stewardship and surveillance of equine antimicrobial resistance
h.lambert1@student.unimelb.edu.au
Simin Lee
Developing modelling workflows and an auto-documentation tool to support real-time decision-making in animal disease outbreaks
sllee2@student.unimelb.edu.au
Madalene Oberin
Epidemiological studies to inform the parameterisation of modelling African swine fever outbreaks in Australia
madalene.oberin@unimelb.edu.au
Hanny Oey
Assessing National Animal Health Information Systems (NAHIS)
hanny.oey@student.unimelb.edu.au
Roshan Paudel
Pathogenicity and Recombination of Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus
roshan.paudel@student.unimelb.edu.au
Kinley Penjor
Antimicrobial Resistance and Use using One Health approach in Bhutan
penjork@student.unimelb.edu.au
Muhammad Qasim
Characterization of reproductive organoids to investigate canine urogenital tract infection
muhammadq@student.unimelb.edu.au
Tulsi Ram Gompo
Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance and Genomic Epidemiology of E. coli isolated from Poultry
gompot@student.unimelb.edu.au
Mochammad Nova Raditya
Strengthening National Biosecurity Measures Through Innovative Diagnostics for Lumpy Skin Disease
mochammadnova.raditya@student.unimelb.edu.au
Sagar Regmi
Impact of coinfection on ILTV-MG infection dynamics in chickens
srreg@student.unimelb.edu.au
Dr Michelle Renwick
Providing the most efficient Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) surveillance system for Victoria
michelle.renwick@unimelb.edu.au
Suzanna Richards
Evaluating small animal veterinary antimicrobial stewardship interventions and how they influence antimicrobial prescribing
smrichards@student.unimelb.edu.au
Chathuri Rodrigo
Investigation of upper respiratory tract infections in free range layer operations in Australia
hrodrigosama@student.unimelb.edu.au
Dr Ri Scarborough
Understanding and optimising veterinary antimicrobial prescribing decisions
rscarborough@student.unimelb.edu.au
Puspa Sharma
Genomic and antimicrobial resistance profiling of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus spp., other Staphylococci causing cattle mastitis in Bhutan
puspa@student.unimelb.edu.au
Ayesha Siddiqua
Disease frequency estimation to support the Global Burden of Animal Disease study
asiddiqua@student.unimelb.edu.au
GPC Sarai Silaban
Enhancing the Cost-Effectiveness of Animal Health Surveillance Strategies in North Sumatra and Aceh
gpcsarai.silaban@student.unimelb.edu.au
Matthew Smallridge
Characterisation of in ovo infection by infectious laryngotracheitis virus; a comparison of molecular detection, histopathology and light-sheet fluorescence microscopy approaches
msmallridge@student.unimelb.edu.au
Isabel Stanley
Establishment and characterisation of in-vitro avian assembloid models
icstanley@student.unimelb.edu.au
Kristen Steele
Do veterinarians provide public good and should they have to pay for it?
steelekp@student.unimelb.edu.au
Danjeres Tamiru Etefa
Describing Uptake of Preventive Health Measures in Cats and Dogs, Australia
danjerestamiru.etefa@student.unimelb.edu.au
Dr Walter Tsang
Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus and its recombination
twtsang@student.unimelb.edu.au
Pema Tshewang
Study of antimicrobial resistance in pet dogs in Bhutan
pematshewang@student.unimelb.edu.au
Dr May Warner
Investigating maternal transfer of antibodies to pouch young in eastern grey kangaroos and bare-nosed wombats
mwarner@student.unimelb.edu.au
Rebbecca Wilcox
Investigating the Use and Stewardship of Antimicrobials in Laboratory Animals
rebbecca.wilcox@unimelb.edu.au
Dr Jack Wheelahan
Point-of-care and on-site diagnostics to improve the health of wildlife and zoo animals
wheelahanj@student.unimelb.edu.au
Sahar Zare
Molecular Basis and Stability of Attenuation of Live Mycoplasma synoviae Vaccine
szare@student.unimelb.edu.au
Honours and Undergraduate Research Students
We are currently unable to retrieve the Staff contact information requested.
Honorary
Chris Morrow
Dr Charles El-Hage
Casual
Former Research Students
The Asia Pacific Centre for Animal Health has a long history of supervising research students. Below is an example of graduated students and their research topics (Degree type under 'Email' and year of completion under 'Phone')
Bo Chen
Developing an In Vitro Organoid Model to Study Canine Atopic Dermatitis
bcchen1@student.unimelb.edu.au
Shijie Geng
Identification of Critical Gene Functions Responsible for the Survival of Mycoplasma bovis in Cell Culture
sggeng@student.unimelb.edu.au
Amy Hii
Antimicrobial resistance in urinary tract infections of dogs and cats
a.hii@student.unimelb.edu.au
Nicholas Doidge
Investigations of Serratia spp. in the Lord Howe Island stick insect (Dryococelus australis)
PhD
2024
Dr Gayathri Gopakumar
Transcriptome profiling and analysis to assess host-infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) interactions.
PhD
2024
Catherine Kneipp
Brucella suis in Australian dogs: epidemiology, transmission risks, clinical investigation and management
PhD
2024
Emily Kwan
Host response to Feline herpesvirus-1 and Feline calicivirus single infections and co-infections in vitro
PhD
2024
Chintha Premachandre
Determination of virulence factors of Mycoplasma bovis contributing to host cell invasion
PhD
2024
Dr Sarah Panigas
Development of a rapid diagnostic test for a lizard respiratory nidovirus
M Vet Sci
2024
Alice Aldora
Characterisation and Risk Factors of Antimicrobial Resistant Bacteria in Australian Reptiles
Masters
2024
Allison Cheung
Rapid Evaluation of Diagnostics for Emerging and Emergency Diseases
Fulbright Visiting Scholar
2024
Dr Chloe Steventon
The health of the captive Leadbeater's possum, (Gymnobelideus leadbeateri): implications for the conservation of the wild population.
PhD
2023
Dr Ayesha Salgadu
Evaluation of in-house and commercial indirect elisas as diagnostic tools for Mycoplasma bovis surveillance in Australia and New Zealand
PhD
2023
Rebecca Wein (2023)
Honours
Louize Zheng (2023)
Undergraduate Project: Detection of recKoRV in Victorian koalas
Dr Hasanthi Abeykoon (2022)
Coxiella burnetii environmental contamination from a large multi-site goat farm and its spatial risk profile
Brae Todd (2023)
Undergraduate Project: Development of rapid diagnostic tests for macropod herpesviruses
Dr Ellen Cottingham (2022)
Construction of feline alphaherpesvirus 1 derived immunocontraceptives for the population management of feral and domestic cats in Australia
Dr Meredith Flash (2022)
Participation levels and factors associated with racing career duration in Australian Thoroughbreds
Dr Brian Hur (2022)
Development of Natural Language Processing Tools to Understand Veterinary Antimicrobial Usage Patterns
Dr Sathya Arachchige (2021)
Host-pathogen interactions during Mycoplasma gallisepticum infection and vaccination in chickens
Kangwei Hou (2022)
Coxiellosis on Commercial Dairy Goat Farms in Australia: Prevalence, Risks Factors, Risk Assessments, and Surveillance
Dr Oluwadamilola Omotainse (2021)
Mechanism of immunity to Mycoplasma synoviae infection in chickens
Kanishka Kamathewatta (M Phil 2021)
Antimicrobial resistance in the environment of an Australian veterinary referral hospital
Dr Jose Canevari (2020)
Q fever in intensively managed dairy goats: Transmission dynamics, production losses and control interventions
Dr Yuhong Liu (2020)
Faecal microbiome and the associated antimicrobial resistance genes in Australian companion and food animals
Dr Mebratu Bitew (2019)
Characterising the role of metabolic enzymes in the pathogenesis of Coxiella burnetii
Dr Carlos Loncoman (2019)
Genetic diversity of Infectious laryngotracheitis virus after recombination events in the natural host as model of infection.
Dr Monoar Pallab (2019)
Investigations into the critical aspects of the health and welfare of the bobby calves and dairy cows in Victorian dairy systems
Dr Paola Vaz (2018)
Viruses of the other mammals: genomics and epidemiology of marsupial herpesviruses
Dr Ahmad Jawad Sabir (2019)
Chicken immune responses to infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) glycoproteins
Dr Dulari Thilakarathne (2019)
Infectious Laryngotracheitis virus vaccines and latency in natural host.
Dr Kinza Asif (2018)
Novel platforms for full genomic characterisation of avian pathogens directly from clinical samples
Dr Mesula Korsa (2018)
Enhancing control of virulent recombinant strains of laryngotracheitis virus using vaccination
Dr Kirsten Bailey (2017)
Investigation of the infectious causes of diarrhoea in Australian thoroughbred foals
Dr James Adamu (2017)
Molecular and functional characterisation of membrane proteins of Mycoplasma bovis
Dr Anita Tolpinrud (M Vet Sci 2018)
Select bacterial and viral pathogens of potential zoonotic or biosecurity importance in Australian brushtail (Trichosurus spp.) and ringtail (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) possums
Siyu Wang (2018)
Characterising the epidemiology of Coxiella burnetii infection in Australian wildlife and livestock species using existing and novel diagnostic tools.
Aga Edema (M Phil 2018)
The effect of tonB deletion on the expression of the genes encoding Shiga toxin, TonB-dependent receptors and fimbriae in the 16001 oedema disease strain of E. coli
Dr Alistair Legione (2017)
An investigation of two significant infectious diseases in populations of Victorian koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus)
Dr Michael Muleme (2017)
Coxiella BurnetII infections in intensively-managed dairy goats: elucidation of transmission dynamics and vaccination strategies
Dr Mahathi Nadimpalli (2016)
Genetic manipulation of infectious laryngotracheitis virus by targeted homologous recombination
Dr Ling Zhu (2017)
Exploration of the basis of virulence attenuation and development of recombinant derivatives in a Mycoplasma synoviae live vaccine
Dr Dinidu Wijesurendra (2016)
Investigating the pathology, molecular pathogenesis and vaccine efficacy of respiratory mycoplasmosis in poultry
Dr Anne Watt (2018)
Investigations into bacterial causes of disease in swine with emphasis on airborne pathogens
Dr Christina Cheng (M Vet Sci 2017)
A bacteriological disease investigation in a captive breeding colony of Lord Howe Island Stick insects (Dryococelus australis)
Dr Charles El-Hage (2016)
Immunological and virological investigations arising from the 2007 Australian equine influenza outbreak
Dr Anthony Chamings (2016)
Molecular epidemiology of avian nephritis virus in commercial chicken flocks
Dr Johanna Dups (2015)
Investigating the neuropathogenesis of henipaviruses in a newly established mouse model of encephalitis
Dr Penelope Steer-Cope (2015)
Pathogenicity, cross-protection and molecular characterisation of fowl adenoviruses
Dr Bronwyn Clayton (2014)
Nipah viruses from Malaysia and Bangladesh: comparisons of viral shedding and pathogenesis, and investigations of transmission in the ferret model for infection
Dr Indu Panicker (2014)
Development of phoA transposon construct for studies on the molecular pathogenesis of Mycoplasma gallisepticum
Dr Niraj Shil (2014)
Development of a novel recombinant vaccine and diagnostic tools for control of infectious laryngotracheitis
Dr Mauricio Coppo Diez (2014)
The immune modulatory role of infectious laryngotracheitis virus glycoprotein G during in vitro and in vivo infection
Dr Nadeeka Wawegama (2013)
Investigations into the pathology, pathogenesis and diagnosis of respiratory mycoplasmosis
Dr Kylie Hewson (2012)
Investigations into the molecular basis of pathogenicity of the Australian infectious bronchitis viruses
Dr Jade Patterson (M Vet Sci 2012)
Chlamydophila and koala retrovirus (KoRV) infection in southern populations of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus)
Prof Jane Sykes (1997)
Improvements in diagnosis and understanding of feline upper respiratory tract pathogens