Publications and media

I passionately believe that as a scientist it is not just important to publish, but also to communicate that work to everyone. Below are links to publications and media promoting my work and helping inform people about the type of science I do and how it can help.

For a full list of scientific publications, see here.

Could endogenous viruses contribute to Tasmanian Devil facial tumor diseases?

Tasmanian Devils are under threat from two forms of transmissible cancer which severely impact their populations and life expectancy. In this study we find that Tasmanian devils, as well as all other carnivorous marsupials (Dayuridae) have almost 10X as many endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) in their genome as other marsupials. These ERVs could be impacting their fitness as a species and could catalyse the cancer formation seen in Devil facial tumor diseases. Read more in the research article here - Molecular Biology and Evolution

Photo by David Clode on Unsplash

Uncovering new amphibian and reptile viruses

Many amphibian and reptile species are endangered, however we know very little about the viruses that infect them, leading to poor outcomes during disease outbreaks. We identify 26 new viruses from amphibians and reptiles around the world to help fill this gap and better predict what may threaten these animals in the future.
Research article here - ISME Communications
UNSW media release here
Newspaper article here - Brisbane Times
Radio interview here - 3CR Community Radio

New viruses discovered in jawless fish

Jawless fish (agnathans) represent some of the earliest life forms, dating back before the dinosaurs. We explore the two living agnathans: hagfish and lamreys and discover new viruses infecting these ancient lineages.

Podcast interviews

Interested in my work and daily life? I have been featured on several podcast episodes talking about my research and inspiration.

Carry the One Radio here

Boiling Point here

ResearchBytes here

Ancient virus DNA may help protect marsupials from infection

Every animal (including us) has viral DNA inside their genomes. Thought to primarily be junk, we show that some viral fossils could be helping protect marsupials from infection.
UNSW Media release here
Primary article in Virus Evolution here
Review article in Microbiology Australia here

Viruses in invasive cane toads

Cane toads are a threat to many native Australian species, and characterising their viruses is a step towards understanding why they were so successful and how we can stop them

AAP Factcheck article

This article by the Australian Associated Press debunks a popular media claim - SARS-CoV2 doesn’t share “spikes” with HIV and Fauci didn’t patent them