Overview

BACKGROUND

I was born in country South Australia in 1952 and spent my childhood lurking in my father’s supermarket and coming to grips with my nickname of POD (my initials). I attended various state schools where I discovered my penchant for science. I studied biomedical science at the University of Adelaide and graduated BSc in 1973 and BSc (Honours) in 1974. I worked on protozoan parasites of livestock as part on my PhD at the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science (IMVS) in Adelaide and graduated in 1978. I was awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship and worked in Munich and Hannover from 1979-81. I returned to Australia and was employed until 1993 as Senior Scientist in the IMVS (later VETLAB of the South Australian Department of Agriculture) where I provided diagnostic, research and extension services in parasitology to practitioners and industry.

In 1994, I joined the University of Queensland (UQ) as Senior Lecturer, then Reader (2001) and then Professor (2007) in the Department of Parasitology in the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences. I completed a GCEd in higher education in 2000, and won the Prime-Minister’s Award for University Teacher of the Year in 2002. I was awarded a DSc by the University of Queensland in 2005 and elected a Fellow of the Australian Society for Parasitology in 2006. I taught foundational biology, preclinical microbiology and vocational parasitology to over 1,200 medical, veterinary and science students each year. I provide senior service to my university, discipline and community and have held office on numerous federal and state committees dealing with biosecurity, infectious diseases, animal health, and water quality.

My research is deliberately parochial, focusing on protozoa associated with Australian hosts. I utilize conventional and contemporary technologies to characterize sporozoa, ciliates, flagellates and amoebae in mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and shellfish. I collaborate widely and am part of the animal health specialist network throughout Australia. I am documenting protozoal biodiversity for the Australian Faunal Directory and have made available 1,600 pages on protozoa in Australia. I have held some 28 research grants, written 259 publications (available through UQ e-Space) and graduated 57 higher degree students in parasitology. I retired in 2019 at the age of 67 but am busier than ever as an Emeritus Professor finishing some long-term research projects and cataloguing my experiences to leave an enduring legacy.

PORTFOLIO

My academic duties consisted of teaching, research and service activities, the latter two receiving more of my attention since retirement.

I specialize in research on protozoan parasites, particularly those causing human and animal diseases and contaminating water resources. I utilize conventional morphological and modern molecular technologies to identify and characterize protozoan species in both vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. I publish the results of my studies primarily in topical journals and have established protozoan databases and bibliographies for Australian fauna.

Over my career, I have taught in numerous courses to science, veterinary, medical and nursing students. I helped develop foundational courses on the theory and practice of science for first-year students, with an emphasis on mathematical models involved in biology, chemistry and physics. I used my vocational experiences to provide preclinical instruction in microbiology to second-year students, applied parasitology to third-year students, and continuing education for medical and veterinary practitioners. I am a keen advocate of problem-based learning to promote contextual relevance and self-directed learning.

I provided senior service to my University through membership of many committees, and continue to promote parasitology, particularly through incentives sponsored by the Australian Society for Parasitology Inc.