Faculty of Veterinary Science
The University of Sydney
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Research Activities

The academic staff at the Faculty of Veterinary Science have a very diverse range of research interests, which do not always correspond with their areas of teaching expertise. If you are interested in doing research in a particular area, use the following headings to guide you when approaching staff about projects.

Or look in the research group websites for more ideas.
See right —>

Animal Production

Applied Animal Reproduction

Companion Animal Health, Behaviour and Welfare

Educational Research and Practice Management

Equine Research

Farm Animal Health and Welfare

Genetics and Genomics

Immunology, Photobiology and Pharmacology

Veterinary Microbiology and Parasitology

Wildlife Biology, Health and Conservation

Please note, some may appear in more than one area.

Animal Production

 

Dr Russell Bush

Improving Dairy Production in China and Pakistan through Improved Nutrition
Improving Beef Production in Cambodia through Improved Nutrition
Improving Nutrition for Commercial Crocodile Production in Australia
Financial Modelling the Impact of Ovine Paratuberculosis

Dr Pietro Celi

Livestock metabolism and endocrinology
Nutrition and reproduction in farm animals

Dr Kendra Davis

Automatic milking for Australian pasture based dairy systems

Dr Jeff A. Downing

Endocrinology and stress physiology

Prof David R. Fraser

Calcium and vitamin D metabolism in mammals, birds and fish

Prof William J. Fulkerson

Nutrition of dairy cattle

Dr Sergio (Yani) Garcia

Pasture-based dairy production systems
Forage production and utilisation

Adjunct Prof Heather Greenfield

Nutrition and peak bone mass in adolescence
Nutrient composition of animal food products
Chinese dairy industry

Dr Peter Groves

Epidemiological approaches to poultry disease management

Dr Alison Gunn

Livestock health and production
Infectious diseases

Assoc Prof John K. House

Livestock health and production
Infectious diseases
Antimicrobial efficacy and susceptibility
Food safety

Dr R. E. Newman

+61 2 9351 1639
Avian metabolism and endocrinology

Applied Animal Reproduction

 

Dr Roslyn Bathgate

Applied reproduction in farm animals and wildlife

Prof Gareth Evans

Applied reproduction in farm animals

Dr Chris Grupen

Gamete and embryo physiology
Assisted reproductive technologies

Dr Claire Kershaw-Young

Anatomy and physiology of reproduction in farm animals
Assisted reproductive technologies
Human embryonic stem cells

Prof W.M.C "Chis" Maxwell

Applied reproduction in farm, native and wild animals

Companion Animal Health, Behaviour and Welfare

 

Dr Vanessa Barrs

Clinical research of infectious diseases in cats
Prevalence studies of genetic diseases amongst Australian cats
Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of novel insulins in cats

A/Prof Julia Beatty

Infectious diseases of cats.
Neoplastic, genetic and endocrine diseases of small animals

Dr Graeme Brown

Dogs as reservoirs of human enteric pathogens and Streptococci and Staphylococci and their impact in Aboriginal communities.
Ticks and the rickettsial tick-borne diseases of dogs.

Dr Kate L. Bosward

Veterinary Immunology and Microbiology
Pathogenesis of OJD
Snake envenomation in cats and dogs
Pathogenesis of chronic feline renal failure
Wound Healing in the Mulesing Operation

Prof Paul J. Canfield

Pathogenesis of diseases of domestic animals and wildlife
Laboratory medicine of all species

Dr Robert J. Dixon

Biology of duck hepatitis B virus
Animal welfare education research
The dog and human health and welfare in rural and remote Indigenous communities
Novel approaches to dog welfare education in rural and remote Indigenous communities
Cross-cultural attitudes to animals including in Mainland China, rural Australia and of Indigenous Australians

Dr Christine Hawke

Veterinary undergraduate education in professional practice (transition to practice, communication, ethics)
Canine immune responses to vaccination; feline immune responses to feline coronaviruses in the pathogenesis of feline infectious peritonitis
Aetiology and pathogenesis of periodontal disease and feline tooth resorption

Assoc Prof Geraldine B. Hunt

Small animal surgery
Congenital and developmental diseases of the dog and cat

Dr Corinna Klupiec

Development of integrated teaching resources
Comparative anatomy and pathophysiology of the eye

Dr Mark B. Krockenberger

Host-Pathogen-Environment Interactions of Cryptococcosis
Diseases of Australian Wildlife, especially koalas
Diagnostic use of Immunohistochemistry in soft tissue tumours of cats and dogs
Infectious diseases of animals

A/Prof Paul D. McGreevy

Behaviour and welfare studies in domestic species, especially horses and dogs
Training of domestic and exotic species
Human-animal interactions

Dr Jacqueline M. Norris

Periodontal disease in cats
Feline infectious peritonitis
Feline immunodeficiency virus
Feline chronic renal failure

Dr Sanaa Zaki

Anaesthesia and analgesia

Educational Research and Practice Management

 

Dr John Baguley

Veterinary economics, law, ethics and business management.

Dr Melanie Collier

Veterinary science education
Endocrinology

Dr Christine Hawke

Veterinary undergraduate education in professional practice (transition to practice, communication, ethics)
Canine immune responses to vaccination; feline immune responses to feline coronaviruses in the pathogenesis of feline infectious peritonitis
Aetiology and pathogenesis of periodontal disease and feline tooth resorption

Dr Corinna Klupiec

Development of integrated teaching resources
Comparative anatomy and pathophysiology of the eye

Dr Susan Matthew

Students' experiences of learning in professional placements
Placement supervisors' and lecturers' experiences of teaching in Veterinary Science
Leadership in veterinary practice

Assoc Prof Roseanne A. Taylor

Neurological disease
Stem cells
Gene therapy
Veterinary education

Equine Research

 

A/Prof Andrew Dart

Clinical research
Biomedical Research
Equine Surgery
Equine Performance
Camelid medicine and surgery

Dr Christina Dart

Degenerative joint disease and cartilage healing
Gastrointestinal disease
Surgical management of colic

Prof Leo Jeffcott (Dean of Faculty of Veterinary Science)

Equine medicine and surgery, especially orthopaedics, paediatrics, internal medicine, clinical pathology and exercise physiology
In particular, back and spinal conditions of horses, and their effects on athletic performance; developmental conditions of horses, and the pathogenesis of Osteochondrosis; climatic effects on horses competing under hot/humid conditions at the Olympic Games.

Dr Peter Knight

Racehorse physiology and performance
Business management

A/Prof Paul D. McGreevy

Behaviour and welfare studies in domestic species, especially horses and dogs
Training of domestic and exotic species
Human-animal interactions

Dr Tony Mogg

Equine internal medicine, ophthalmology, cardiology and clinical pharmacology
Veterinary education

Dr Gary Muscatello

Equine infectious disease
Epidemiology of Rhodococcus equi
Epidemiology of Equine transport pneumonia
Aerosol culture methods to detect agents associated with respiratory disease in the horse
Sequence identification of unusual pathogens

Dr Christine Smith

Lameness and poor performance in horses
Degenerative joint disease

Farm Animal Health and Welfare

 

Dr Joy Becker

Infectious diseases of fish
Aquatic animal health

Dr Douglas Begg

Pathogenesis of Johne’s disease in sheep

Dr Kate L. Bosward

Veterinary Immunology and Microbiology
Pathogenesis of OJD
Snake envenomation in cats and dogs
Pathogenesis of chronic feline renal failure
Wound Healing in the Mulesing Operation

Dr Michelle Dennis

Diagnosis and surveillance of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies
Pathogenesis of bovine johne’s disease

Dr Navneet Dhand

Epidemiology of ovine Johne’s disease
Statistical computing and data analysis
Relational databases and animal health information systems
Mathematical modelling

Dr Om Dhungyel

Ovine Footrot Research - Diagnosis, Molecular Pathogenesis and Vaccine Development
Ovine Johne’s disease

Dr Robert J. Dixon

Biology of duck hepatitis B virus
Animal welfare education research
The dog and human health and welfare in rural and remote Indigenous communities
Novel approaches to dog welfare education in rural and remote Indigenous communities
Cross-cultural attitudes to animals including in Mainland China, rural Australia and of Indigenous Australians

Dr Kumudika de Silva

Inflammatory response to injury/inflammation
Apoptosis
Ovine Johne's disease

Dr David Emery

Ruminant immunology related to infectious diseases
Parasitology and vaccination

Dr Peter Groves

Epidemiological approaches to poultry disease management

Dr Alison Gunn

Livestock health and production
Infectious diseases

Dr Marta Hernandez-Jover

Livestock traceability and biosecurity

Dr Patricia Holyoake

Pig health, welfare, reproduction and performance

Assoc Prof John K. House

Livestock health and production
Infectious diseases
Food safety
Animal welfare
Live export

Dr Roy McClements

Zoo and captive wildlife nutrition
Nutritional biochemistry
Nutrition and reproductive success in egg laying animals

Dr Wendy I. Muir

Avian immunology

Dr Karren Plain

Cellular and molecular immunology (in particular transplantation
immunology)
Ovine Johne's Disease
Immune regulation

Dr Jenny-Ann Toribio

Epidemiology of infectious disease
Smallholder livestock systems
Risk assessment
Innovative approaches to education

Professor Michael Ward

Public health and food safety
Analytical epidemiology
Spatial epidemiology and GIS
Simulation modelling

Prof Richard J. Whittington

Infectious diseases of livestock, fauna and fish

Assoc Prof Peter A. Windsor

Livestock health diagnosis & management
Neuropathology and reproductive & genetic disease

Genetics and Genomics

 

Dr Kathy Belov

Genetics and genomics of Australasian Wildlife

Dr Natasha Ellis

Equine genetics
Genetics of parasite resistance in sheep

Dr Jaime Gongora

Wildlife genetics
Co-evolution
Phylogeography
Population genetics

Dr Elisabeth Jonas

Livestock genomics
Population genetics in sheep, modeling lactation curves, QTL analysis

Dr Seyit Kayis

Statistical model development for QTL analysis
QTL mapping
Genomics

Dr Mehar Khatkar

Integrated genomics
Linkage disequilibrium mapping
Marker Assisted Selection
Computing and data analysis

Dr Anne Lehnert

Anti-rejection of transplanted islets
Pig islet xenotransplantation as a treatment for type I diabetes
Drug metabolizing enzymes in the liver and brain
Gene expression that occurs during a primary Heamonchus contortus infection in sheep

Prof Chris Moran

Molecular genetics and functional genomics
Crocodile gene mapping and genomics
Platypus population genetics

Prof Herman W. Raadsma

Livestock genomics
Resistance to disease
Functional genomics

Dr Tony Rowe

Immunology
Parasitology
Sheep genomics

Dr Mohammad Shariflou

Molecular genetics focussing on sheep genomics

Dr Paul Sheehy

Functional Genomics
Gene Discovery
Gene therapy
Cell biology
Molecular diagnostics
Basic cellular biology

Dr Imke Tammen

Inherited disorders in livestock
Genetics of production traits

Assoc Prof Roseanne A. Taylor

Neurological disease
Stem cells
Gene therapy
Veterinary education

Dr Peter Thomson

Statistical genetics
Major gene analysis
Applied statistics

Dr Peter Williamson

Functional Genomics/Proteomics
Molecular immunology
Signal transduction
Bio-engineering
Lactation

Immunology, Photobiology and Pharmacology

 

Dr Munif Allanson

UV-induced skin cancer carcinogenesis.
UVA photoimmunoprotection against UVB radiation
The induction of the inducible heme oxygenase in skin.
Carbon monoxide as a signalling molecule
Cyclic guanosine monophosphate signalling
Phosphodiesterases expression/inhibition in skin
Investigating novel anti-cancer agents in murine skin cancer models

Dr Kate L. Bosward

Veterinary Immunology and Microbiology
Pathogenesis of OJD
Snake envenomation in cats and dogs
Pathogenesis of chronic feline renal failure
Wound Healing in the Mulesing Operation

Dr David Emery

Ruminant immunology related to infectious diseases
Parasitology and vaccination

Dr Merran Govendir

Veterinary clinical pharmacology
Immunohistochemistry

Dr Christine Hawke

Veterinary undergraduate education in professional practice (transition to practice, communication, ethics)
Canine immune responses to vaccination; feline immune responses to feline coronaviruses in the pathogenesis of feline infectious peritonitis
Aetiology and pathogenesis of periodontal disease and feline tooth resorption

Dr Susan Hemsley

Marsupial disease and immunology

Dr Wendy I. Muir

Avian immunology

Dr Karren Plain

Cellular and molecular immunology (in particular transplantation
immunology)
Ovine Johne's Disease
Immune regulation

Dr Vivienne E. Reeve

Photobiology
Immunity and skin carcinogenesis
Autoimmune diseases

Dr Tony Rowe

Immunology
Parasitology
Sheep genomics

Veterinary Microbiology and Parasitology

 

Dr Tiziana Beninati

Novel infectious diseases in ticks and mammals
Molecular characterization of Chlamydiales and tick-borne diseases
Electron microscopy and in situ hybridization analysis of intracellular bacterium
Molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of intracellular symbionts in insects

Dr Kate L. Bosward

Veterinary Immunology and Microbiology
Pathogenesis of OJD
Snake envenomation in cats and dogs
Pathogenesis of chronic feline renal failure
Wound Healing in the Mulesing Operation

Dr David Emery

Ruminant immunology related to infectious diseases
Parasitology and vaccination

Dr Jacqueline M. Norris

Periodontal disease in cats
Feline infectious peritonitis
Feline immunodeficiency virus
Feline chronic renal failure

Dr Jan Slapeta

Protozoology
Microbial Evolution & Systematics
Diagnostic Applications

Wildlife Biology, Health and Conservation

 

Dr Tiziana Beninati

Novel infectious diseases in ticks and mammals
Molecular characterization of Chlamydiales and tick-borne diseases
Electron microscopy and in situ hybridization analysis of intracellular bacterium
Molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of intracellular symbionts in insects

Prof Paul J. Canfield

Pathogenesis of diseases of domestic animals and wildlife
Laboratory medicine of all species

Dr Rachael Gray

Marine mammal health and disease

Dr Susan Hemsley

Marsupial disease and immunology

Dr Damien Higgins

Pathogenesis and ecology of wildlife disease
Wildlife immunology
Medicine, surgery and management of terrestrial and marine wildlife

Dr Mark B. Krockenberger

Host-Pathogen-Environment Interactions of Cryptococcosis
Diseases of Australian Wildlife, especially koalas
Diagnostic use of Immunohistochemistry in soft tissue tumours of cats and dogs
Infectious diseases of animals

Dr Roy McClements

Zoo and captive wildlife nutrition
Nutritional biochemistry
Nutrition and reproductive success in egg laying animals

Prof Chris Moran

Molecular genetics and functional genomics
Crocodile gene mapping and genomics
Platypus population genetics

Dr Adam Munn

Ecological physiology of native, domestic and feral vertebrates

A/Prof David Phalen

Infectious diseases of wildlife, particularly birds

Dr Derek Spielman

Pathology, ecology and epidemiology of diseases affecting wildlife
Exotic, new and emerging diseases that affect wildlife (native and exotic)
Domesticated animal and human interfaces
How the genetics of small populations affects endangered populations and species

Dr Glenn M. Shea

Biology of reptiles

Research Groups

For more information on what research groups are active within the Faculty of Veterinary Science and further details on their work, you can look at the research group web pages.