Lee Berger (biologist)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lee Berger | |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 January 1970 Epsom, England |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne James Cook University |
| Awards | |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | |
| Thesis | Diseases in Australian Frogs (2001) |
| Doctoral advisor | Rick Speare |
Lee Berger FAA (born 16 January 1970), is an Australian biologist and veterinarian, who discovered during her PhD that the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis was responsible for the decline and extinction of hundreds of amphibian species.
Berger was born in Epsom, England in 1970, but moved to Melbourne, Australia with her family just a year later.[6] She earned her undergraduate degree in Veterinary Science from the University of Melbourne.[6] She was awarded her PhD at James Cook University in 2001 under the supervision of Rick Speare.[7][3][8] In her PhD she aimed to find the cause of the decline of amphibians in Queensland between the 1970s and 1990s.[3] She identified the cause as being a chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, which causes a disease called chytridiomycosis.[7][9] She served as the Associate Dean of Research within the College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences at James Cook University.[7] She is currently an adjunct professor at James Cook University and the University of Melbourne.[10][4]
