research in the school of veterinary & life sciences · 6 research in the school of veterinary...

Research in the School of

VETERINARY & LIFE SCIENCES

Research in the School of Veterinary & Life Sciences2 Research in the School of Veterinary & Life Sciences 3

Anim

al & Human Health

Our research: making the world a better place

Six research themes

We have six Research Themes across the School, which are articulated and translated into practice through the development of policy and engagement with stakeholders. We work with individuals, communities, organisations, industry and government at local, national and global scales to inform science and guide policy towards on-ground solutions.

This brochure details some of the current research being carried out across these six Research Themes.

Our six Research Themes in VLS

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands on which we work, and pay our respects to their Elders past and present. We acknowledge with gratitude that we share this land today, and as we grow our knowledge through research may we also pay respect to the knowledge embedded forever within the Aboriginal Custodianship of Country.

Researchers from VLS conduct work across three research areas that align directly with national priority areas recognised by the Australian Research Council:

Murdoch University prides itself on its fundamental and applied research that is making a difference in the world we live in.

The School of Veterinary & Life Sciences (VLS) is a highly integrated, collaborative and research-intensive school, with 130 academic staff, 30 research associates and post-doctoral fellows, and 300 doctoral students.

We maintain strong links to industry, other Australian and international universities, Government agencies and NGOs to ensure translation and application of our research in the real world.

We are proud to be part of the Innovative Research Universities (IRU) helping to maintain human and animal health, and to improve and manage natural, agricultural and managed ecosystems to ensure their health for future generations in the context of global change.

I hope that you enjoy reading this summary of our work, and I encourage you to contact the School to find out how we can work together to share in this vision.

Professor David Hampson Dean, VLS July 2015

Primary Production

1 Animal & Human

Health6

Wildlife Biology &

Conservation

POLICY AND

ENGAGEMENT

5 Ecology, People &

Environment

2 Animal

Production, Health & Welfare

3 Crop Production &

Biosecurity

Environm

ent

4 Marine,

Estuarine & Freshwater

Science

a. Animal & Human Health: Promoting population health

and wellbeing

b. Primary Production: Managing our food and

water assets

c. Our Environment: Living in a changing

environment

• Medical research targeting diseases of global importance

• Optimise health and wellbeing of domestic animals and wildlife

• Optimise food and fibre production using our land and marine resources

• Develop knowledge of the changing distribution, connectivity, transformation and sustainable use of water in the Australian landscape

• Maximise effectiveness of the production value chain from primary to processed food

• Identify vulnerabilities and boundaries to the adaptability of changing natural and human systems

• Manage risk and capture opportunities for sustainable natural and human systems

• Enable societal transformation to enhance sustainability and wellbeing


Animal & Human Health

for example ... Animal biotechnology — internationally recognised research is being carried out on Cryptosporidium, tick-transmitted blood borne zoonotic diseases (parasites/bacterial infections), and trypanosomes, which have a global impact on animal and human health. Innovative research involves novel chemotherapeutics for Cryptosporidium to identify protozoa-specific phylomers that inhibit parasite replication, and development of new vaccines and diagnostic tests for pathogens.

Zoonotic disease — understanding the mechanisms of disease transmission in zoonotic pathogens contributes to how we regulate the impacts of potential diseases for humans.

Veterinary Sciences — research takes an integrative approach to solve problems and improve animal and public health associated with infectious and zoonotic parasites such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, Staphylococcus aureus, internal helminthic parasites, Cryptosporidium, Giardia, trypanosomes and Theileria as they occur in wildlife, production and companion animals.

Neonatal sepsis — Current diagnosis of bacterial sepsis in preterm infants is too slow, leading to increased morbidity. We are profiling the biochemistry of sepsis in preterm infants to identify specific biomarkers that can be used for quicker diagnosis, improving patient outcomes.

Lymphoid cancer — we have identified biomarkers for human and animal lymphoid tumours for use in diagnosis and treatment.

The Western Australian Health Translation Network is bringing together major hospitals, medical research institutes and universities to integrate research effort and capitalise on the State’s substantial investment in new health infrastructure.

Our team is bringing veterinary and medical sciences together to improve global health. Murdoch researchers use state-of-the art facilities together with local, national and international partners to achieve excellent animal and biomedical research.

Our main research activities in Immunology, Microbiology, Epidemiology, Pathology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Clinical Sciences include:

Infectious disease

• Emerging, recurrent and zoonotic diseases

• Vector-borne diseases

• Antimicrobial resistance

• Anti-parasitic drugs

• Neglected diseases

• Epidemiology and population health

Immune and inflammatory diseases

• Allergic disease and asthma

• Lymphoid tumours

Biochemistry and pharmacology

• Mechanisms of drug actions

• Biochemistry and metabolomics

• Forensic sciences

Clinical and applied research

• Wildlife and conservation medicine

• Veterinary clinical medicine

1Our researchers are changing the world by:• Reducing the risks of parasites such as

Cryptosporidium and Giardia to public health

• Improving understanding of complementary and alternative medicines and safety for consumption

• Developing clinical and surgical procedures

• Improving wastewater treatment processes, enabling the uptake of alternative water use options in Australia

• Improving our understanding of preterm birth and early-life infections

• Investigating the early-life origins of human health and disease

• Improving understanding of the molecular basis of cancers of the immune system

Research in the School of Veterinary & Life Sciences 7Research in the School of Veterinary & Life Sciences6

Our researchers are changing the world by:• Improving health and welfare of production

animals

• Providing optimal environments for extensive and intensive animal production

• Providing sustainable management strategies and developing best practice guidelines

• Improved food storage and microbial control

• Reducing the cost of production through better nutrition and feeding programs

• Working with the whole supply chain to develop products that meet consumer preferences

Animal Production, Health & Welfare

for example ...Animal welfare — Animal wellbeing is becoming increasingly important for consumers, stakeholders, and agrifood companies. Murdoch’s animal health and welfare research is providing the scientific justification to help Australian farmers maintain the social licence to produce the nation’s food. We have significantly contributed to the development of animal welfare assessment tools for benchmarking and applied research, and use scientific approaches to identify best practice.

Nutrition and health — applied studies have shown that the use of antimicrobials to control enteric bacterial diseases of pigs can be reduced by strategic formulation of the diet and/or vaccine formulation.

Meat Standards Australia lamb and beef quality systems — Murdoch research underpins the meat standards systems which have transformed eating quality of Australian lamb and beef.

Responding to climate change — investigating forage for ruminants that reduce the generation and emission of greenhouse gases.

We work towards ethical, sustainable and economically efficient production of healthy, high quality food and fibre. The goal is to supply livestock products in an environmentally and socially responsible way.

Behaviour, health and welfare

• Evaluating and optimising production animal behaviour

• Pain management

• Nutrition for intensive and extensive production

• Animal management in export environments

• Development of animal welfare assessment tools

• Improved pathogen detection

• Vaccine development

• Antimicrobial resistance

Food safety and public health

• Management of zoonotic diseases

• Livestock and watershed management

• Managing diarrhoea and microbial contamination of meat products

• Food storage and microbial control

Production animal systems

• Reproduction, fertility and maternal efficiency

• Metabolic diseases in production animals

• Sustainable sheep parasite management

• Feed evaluation and assessment

• Practical nutrition and husbandry

Meat, milk and fibre production

• Meat quality

• Developing products to meet consumer preferences

• Nutrition and disease interactions

2


Our researchers are changing the world by:• Improving crop production, grain quality

and farm profitability

• Improved biological nitrogen fixation that saves farmers and the environment billions of dollars by negating the need for using energy-expensive and greenhouse gas-producing industrially synthesised fertilisers

• Developing novel ways to control pests and diseases of grains and horticultural crops

• Contributing to climate ready cereal cultivars

• Improved post-harvest storage methods without the need for chemicals to control insects and microorganisms

• Providing new alternatives to methyl bromide (a severe ozone depleting chemical) and sulphuryl fluoride (a greenhouse gas)

• Developing better varieties of wheat and barley

Crop Production & Biosecurity

for example ... Increasing farm production and profitability — with substantial investment from the Grains Research Development Corporation (GRDC), we are working on increasing farm production and profitability.

Plant nematode and virus interactions — gene silencing technology has been used to silence vital genes in nematode and aphid pests, generating several patents.

Potato Research WA — a joint venture between Murdoch and the Potato Marketing Corporation of WA was established as a one-stop-shop for potato Research and Development (R&D) to support the WA potato industry. Activities range from pathogen and nutrient testing, improving tuber quality, and genome-editing technology.

Rhizobia — research has delivered $3 billion annual benefit to Australian agriculture from nitrogen fixation, the majority of which accrues from elite rhizobial strains released through the National Rhizobium Program hosted at Murdoch since 1997.

Post-harvest food security — Working together with the national Cooperative Research Centre for Biosecurity, we are developing technology to protect stored food from fungal pathogens, insect and rodent pests. This requires novel control options and investment in understanding the lifecycles of these pests and pathogens.

Developing better varieties of wheat and barley — Murdoch and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences are lead partners in the Australia-China Centre for Wheat Improvement, while the Western Barley Genetics Alliance is a joint venture between Murdoch and the Department of Agriculture and Food WA. Leadership in these joint genome sequencing initiatives is being translated into finding new genes to improve many traits, including improving disease resistance and late season yield in wheat and better brewing quality for barley. We are also helping to increase productivity and reduce risk to industry, promising to boost Australia’s grain exports.

How our areas of research link to future food security

We translate high-end biotechnology and management technologies into sustainable food production, protection and quality. Our research is carried out at all levels, from soil management through to the production and protection of food products:

• Genomic and comparative genomics of crops and pests

• Gene discovery and transgenic plants

• Developing better combinations of genes using marker-assisted selection

• Developing new forms of resistance to pests and diseases

• Improving the quality of grains and horticultural produce

• Improved soil management for greater productivity

• Improving nitrogen fixation in forage crops

• Crop biosecurity and post harvest storage to reduce handling losses

• Ecosystem health

• Dealing with climate variation

Post-harvest storage

FUTURE FOOD

SECURITY

Biosecurity

Crop protection

Crop production

Healthy ecosystems

Adapting to climate

variation

3

Research in the School of Veterinary & Life Sciences 11

Marine, Estuarine & Freshwater Science

For example ...Our valuable waterways — our researchers have developed innovative monitoring systems for rivers and estuaries, quantifying the role of riparian and aquatic vegetation in effectively ameliorating nutrient inputs and improving water quality to downstream rivers and estuaries.

Marine wildlife — we monitor the health and activity patterns of marine mammals (especially whales, dolphins and seals) to support the early detection of adverse impacts from natural and anthropogenic pressures. This research has strong links to ecotourism and engages citizen science to increase our conservation outcomes.

Fisheries Science — our research has contributed towards science that integrates aquaculture, fisheries ecology, and modelling towards increasing fisheries production and sustainability.

Climate change adaptation and urban wetlands — understanding the biology of aquatic species reveals how species respond to climate change, and highlights the importance of habitat attributes that enable urban wetlands to act as crucial refuges.

Microbial technology — researchers have been working to harness the power of microbes to process wastewater and solid wastes. We investigate nitrogen removal from wastewater, biological odour removal, thermodynamics and kinetics of reactions in aqueous systems, biofouling, microbial corrosion and methane production as a renewable energy source.

Our mission is to grow understanding of our Australian marine, estuarine and freshwater ecosystems to work towards innovative solutions for sustaining fisheries and aquatic systems in a changing world.

4Our researchers are changing the world by:• Recognition, conservation and management

of Australia’s unique biota

• Designing novel technologies for the applied use of aquatic organisms

• Aiding the conservation of threatened species

• Novel approaches to ecosystem restoration

• Understanding the interaction between multiple stressors on aquatic ecosystems

• Providing biological foundations for sustainable fisheries

• Engaging community involvement through research

Research in the School of Veterinary & Life Sciences10

Fish biology and health

Algae and seagrasses

Aquatic wildlife

Freshwater, estuarine and marine ecosystems

Management for sustainability

• Biology and ecology of fish and other biota

• Fish and marine wildlife health

• Conservation of marine wildlife

• Mariculture (biofuels, algal culture)

• Marine plant physiology

• Seagrass restoration

• Ecological thresholds and multiple stressors

• Algal dynamics in intermittent streams

• Biodiversity and biogeography of aquatic organisms

• Marine and estuarine biodiversity

• Biophysical interactions in marine systems

• Improving management through understanding ecosystem function

• Relationships between biodiversity and habitat

• Catchment to coast restoration

• Value of riparian ecosystems

• Responses of aquatic organisms to climate change and other anthropogenic stressors

• Actions to facilitate climate change adaptation

• Sustainability of fisheries, including interactions between wildlife and fisheries

• Identification and responses to biosecurity threats

• Interdisciplinary marine systems research

Research in the School of Veterinary & Life Sciences 1312

Ecology, People & Environment

for example ...Plant pathogen control — through understanding of the modes of action of phosphite in host plants, we have developed tools that are now used worldwide to control Phytophthora diseases in natural and managed ecosystems.

Tourism — understanding the human use of parks and the impacts of these visitors on them is a continuing focus of tourism research at Murdoch. Strong collaborations across tourism, environmental, biological and social sciences provides a holistic synthesis of the key elements necessary for successful park management.

Terrestrial ecosystems — empirical research has contributed to international understanding of the effects of escalating human activity on woody ecosystems and the implications for their conservation and restoration. We have recently provided evidence to support new approaches to managing wildfire risk

in shrubland systems subject to a changing climate.

Protecting our water resources — investigations into water catchment contamination and waterborne diseases contribute to ensuring the quality of our water resources.

Policy development — Murdoch research has significantly contributed to the development of Conservation Management Plans including the management and protection of endangered freshwater fishes in WA, the Australian National Threat Abatement Plan, Fire Management Plans, the Australian Government’s National Water Initiative and Direct Action Climate Policies.

Adapting to and mitigating climate change — our trans-disciplinary approach has extended regional, national, and international understanding of climate change effects on forest ecosystems. We have developed novel methods, and risk assessment and decision-making frameworks to improve our capacity to sustain groundwater-dependent ecosystems in the presence of climate change. We also participate in international processes such as lead authorship of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment Report.

Sustainable urban ecosystems — ecologists and social scientists work together to understand the importance of biodiversity and ecosystem services in our cities. Our quality of life in Australia depends on how we manage our environment, for our own health and wellbeing.

Exploring the complex interactions between humans and our environment, our researchers are translating science into practical and effective management actions, such as ecosystem restoration and biodiversity conservation.

We are building our understanding of ecosystem function, human impacts, and values, e.g. working alongside communities engaged in conservation and science, we are exploring how a future warming and drying climate impacts the environment and people.

Our researchers use a broad range of tools and approaches, including remote sensing and spatial ecology to address landscape-scale changes.

5Our researchers are changing the world by:• Improving restoration and rehabilitation

techniques for marine, terrestrial and freshwater environments

• Understanding our environmental future: climate change, novel ecosystems, urban sustainability, and facing challenges in a dynamic landscape

• Improving policy and management through focussed research

• Engaging community in science and management of ecosystems and biodiversity

Land Terrestrial and landscape ecology; Woodland and forest health; Soil science; Mining rehabilitation; Fire ecology

Water

Wetland, river, estuary and marine ecology and management; Climate change adaptation and refuges; Sustainable urban wetlands; Water quality and nutrient dynamics; Integrated catchment management

Air Atmospheric Science; Climate change modelling; Air quality; Emissions control

Biota

Biodiversity conservation; Threatened and invasive species; Threatened ecological communities; Disease and parasites; Aquatic and terrestrial plant and animal ecology

People

Environmental Impact Assessment; Environmental policy and law; Tourism; Community engagement in conservation; Protected area management; Citizen science; Education for Sustainability; GIS and spatial planning

Research in the School of Veterinary & Life Sciences

Research in the School of Veterinary & Life Sciences 15Research in the School of Veterinary & Life Sciences14

Our researchers are changing the world by:• Identifying wildlife diseases and strategies

for treatment of native fauna

• Improving health of native fauna in increasingly fragmented urban and natural landscapes

• Identifying habitat required for fauna as part of mine-site rehabilitation

• Capturing interactions between tourism and our wildlife

• Solutions for fauna adaptation to a changing climate

• Improving modern evolutionary theory

Wildlife Biology and Conservation Science

for example ...Wildlife disease — combining the expertise of wildlife veterinarians with zoologists has led to wildlife health and disease research that is integral to the successful conservation of unique Australian vertebrates. We also work with international researchers to identify disease threats to wildlife species across the globe.

Ecology — partnerships between plant pathologists and zoologists have led to significant advances in wildlife conservation for threatened ecosystems. By identifying diet and habitat requirements of wildlife, we contribute to re-vegetation and conservation management planning for reserves, or rehabilitation of altered landscapes such as mine-sites.

Evolutionary biology — theoretical research examines the pivotal role of transposable DNA elements in driving evolutionary advances and species radiations, through to advanced mechanistic understanding of animal behaviour. Our basic evolutionary research has been directly translated into applications in infectious disease control, treatment of inherited disorders, and conservation biology. For example, we have developed novel research investigating the evolution of animal social networks and their effects on parasite transmission.

Translating science into wildlife management — collaborations between estuarine ecologists and spatial analysts have developed a system of habitat classification of estuaries based on intrinsic environmental variables.

Citizen science — we work closely with a broad range of stakeholders to capture scientific data that can be used to inform management and conservation issues.

Conservation and management of our wildlife requires that we understand the behaviour, biology and ecology of native and invasive fauna, as well as their potential susceptibility to disease.

Much of our basic research into wildlife health works towards improving how we conserve animals. Understanding the causes of species declines is central to being able to manage populations for the future.

Animals are important in maintaining healthy ecosystems, contributing to ecosystem services such as pollination, soil turnover, and dispersal of seeds and fungal spores. These ‘ecosystem engineers’ can therefore have an impact out of proportion to their body size.

To address key research questions, our approaches range from advanced molecular technologies to aerial surveys for population and habitat monitoring. We generate practical research outcomes relevant to the real world to guide conservation management practice and policy.

6

Conservation and Management

Population management

Populations; native and invasive species genetics; nature tourism;

policy development

Biology and behavioural ecology of wildlife

Increasing understanding of native and introduced

species

Health and disease of wildlife

Knowledge and management of wildlife

health and disease

Terrestrial and aquatic ecology

Recognising the role of plants and animals in

ecosystems

Habitat preference; diet; predation; feeding ecology; approaches to control; survey methods

Molecular epidemiology and bacterial infections;

parasitology; conservation medicine

Ecosystem processes; plant-animal interactions;

disturbance ecology; spatial ecology


Enabling technology for our researchIn addition to traditional approaches, we apply state-of-the-art tools, including remote sensing, molecular biology, ’omic technologies, and bioinformatics to address and solve key research questions.

The Western Australian State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre (SABC)

The SABC is recognised as a ‘Centre of Excellence for Industry Focussed R&D’ by the WA Government. The SABC provides a flagship to support the University goals and delivery of research outputs to industry, achieved both by engaging industry groups directly in collaborations, and supporting start-up companies. The SABC provides high quality containment and quarantine labs and advanced equipment for researchers in crop and animal R&D, and runs the only nucleic acid sequencing service for agriculture in WA. The SABC is unique in supporting co-location of R&D for University, State Government, and Industry groups in one Centre.

The Marine and Freshwater Research Laboratory (MAFRL)

The MAFRL incorporates a fully equipped, NATA accredited facility for the analysis of fresh, estuarine and marine samples. MAFRL undertakes water, sediment and biota analytics.

The Centre for Comparative Genomics (CCG)

The CCG is a WA State Government Centre of Excellence. This centre undertakes unique biomedical and agricultural research and development, producing informatics and molecular tools for agricultural and medical applications and a registry framework that has yielded a number of registries for rare diseases.

Separation Science and Metabolomics Laboratory

Murdoch has invested heavily in metabolomics R&D in the ‘Advanced Mass Spectrometry Facility’ with state-of-the-art equipment. With continuous enhancement of the facilities underpinning agricultural R&D, the University is a major contributor to a series of national and international research projects in developing and delivering research innovation with industry.

The Centre for Phytophthora Science and Management (CPSM)

CPSM carries out a range of unique services for the diagnosis of plant pathogens in environmental and horticultural samples.

As a government or corporate organisation, trust, foundation, or private individual, you can get involved by supporting our research through in-kind and financial contribution.

• Research support: In collaboration, we can apply for Federal and State government funding to develop research projects that address key issues relating to your business. For example, we can collaborate on Australian Research Council (ARC-linkage) and Research and Development Corporation (RDC) funding applications.

• Supporting student projects: Our research students are keen to work with industry or government organisations on applied or basic fundamental research topics. You will also be providing support and training for future generations of high quality research scientists that are relevant to your organisation.

• Sponsorship: Sponsor a research area of your choice with an in-kind and/or financial contribution.

• Donations: Make a cash donation.

For all of these options, Murdoch University is a not-for-profit organisation, with deductible gift recipient (DGR) status. As a result, we can receive a cash donation or sponsorship that your organisation can claim as a tax deduction.

For more details and information please contact us on [email protected]

Would you like to contribute to this research?

mailto:vlsresearch%40murdoch.edu.au?subject=


Bachelor of Science undergraduate majors Postgraduate courses

1 Animal & Human Health

• Animal Health

• Animal Science

• Biological Sciences

• Biomedical Science

• Clinical Laboratory Science

• Conservation and Wildlife Biology

• Forensic Biology and Toxicology

• Laboratory Medicine

• Molecular Biology

• Veterinary Science (BSc+DVM)

• Doctor of Veterinary Medical Science

• Graduate Certificate in Forensic Science (Professional Practice)

• Master of Veterinary Clinical Studies

• Master of Veterinary Studies (Conservation Medicine)

• Master of Veterinary Studies (Small Animal Practice)

• Master of Veterinary Studies (Veterinary Surveillance)

• Master of Wildlife Health and Conservation

2 Animal Production, Health & Welfare

• Animal Health

• Animal Science

• Veterinary Science (BSc+DVM)

• Master of Veterinary Studies (Veterinary Surveillance)

• Doctor of Veterinary Medical Science

3 Crop Production & Biosecurity


• Crop and Pasture Science

• Forensic Biology and Toxicology

• Molecular Biology

• Graduate Certificate of Plant Biosecurity

• Graduate Diploma of Plant Biosecurity

• Master of Food Security

• Master of Biosecurity

4 Marine, Estuarine & Freshwater Science



• Environmental Management & Sustainability

• Environmental Science

• Marine Science

• Graduate Certificate in Environmental Assessment and Management

• Graduate Certificate in Environmental Science

• Graduate Certificate in Protected Area Administration

• Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science

• Master of Environmental Science

• Master of Protected Area Management

Would you like to help change the world?Studying at Murdoch University offers you a range of degree options that can be tailored to your specific interests and that can articulate to a broad range of careers. If you are interested in talking to us about potential careers that your degree will lead to, please contact the Murdoch Careers and Employment Centre: [email protected]

Bachelor of Science undergraduate majors Postgraduate courses

5 Ecology, People & Environment





• Marine Science







6 Wildlife Biology & Conservation Science





• Marine Science







• Master of Veterinary Studies in Conservation Medicine

• Master of Wildlife Health and Conservation

Research degrees

Honours — The School of Veterinary & Life Sciences offers Honours courses which train students for independent research as well as to provide advanced or broadening studies within your chosen field.

PhD — A Doctoral degree from Murdoch University involves critical inquiry designed to further human knowledge. A PhD fosters development of independent research skills, including the capacity to formulate a problem, develop mastery of appropriate conceptual and methodological skills to address it, and relate the research topic to a broader framework of knowledge in a relevant discipline.

mailto:careers%40murdoch.edu.au?subject=

If you are interested in our research and would like to know more, then please contact us on [email protected]

Our research bulletins can be viewed and downloaded from www.murdoch.edu.au/School-of-Veterinary-and-Life-Sciences/Our-research/Our-Bulletins/

Undergraduate or postgraduate degrees, please see www.murdoch.edu.au/School-of-Veterinary-and-Life-Sciences/Our-courses/

mailto:vlsresearch%40murdoch.edu.au?subject=

http://www.murdoch.edu.au/School-of-Veterinary-and-Life-Sciences/Our-research/Our-Bulletins/

http://www.murdoch.edu.au/School-of-Veterinary-and-Life-Sciences/Our-courses/

research in the school of veterinary & life sciences · 6 research in the school of veterinary...

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