Rate My Professor Andrew Peters

Professor Andrew Peters is Professor in Pathobiology at Charles Sturt University’s School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences in the Faculty of Science and Health. He earned his VSc from the University of Sydney, Membership of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists (MACVS) in Avian Health, and a PhD from Charles Sturt University in 2013 supervised by Professor Shane Raidal. Following his veterinary graduation in 2004, Peters practiced in a mixed animal clinic on the New South Wales north coast and later at a specialized bird, reptile, and wildlife practice in Sydney. In 2009, he shifted to full-time research, involving extensive fieldwork capturing wild migratory birds in remote regions of northern Australia and Papua New Guinea, coupled with laboratory-based phylogenetic studies on host-parasite relationships among Australasian pigeon species.

Peters’ research focuses on wildlife population health, pathology, protistology especially in wild birds, avian virology, host-parasite evolution, parasite ecology, conservation biology, and socio-ecological systems including One Health approaches. He has pioneered international training programs to enhance animal health capabilities in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific, emphasizing respect for indigenous knowledge. Notable leadership includes serving as President of the international Wildlife Disease Association, Deputy Chair of Wildlife Health Australia, Treasurer and Chair of the Australasian Section of the Wildlife Disease Association, and various board and council roles. His influential publications encompass “Evidence of psittacine beak and feather disease virus spillover into wild critically endangered orange-bellied parrots (Neophema chrysogaster)” (2014), “Review of psittacine beak and feather disease and its effect on Australian endangered species” (2015), “Mutability dynamics of an emergent single stranded DNA virus in a naïve host” (2014), “Psittacine beak and feather disease: ecology and implications for conservation” (2018), and recent advances such as “Safety and immunogenicity of a novel psittacine beak and feather disease vaccine and optimisation of a thermostable spray-dried formulation” (2026). Awards include the Barry L. Munday Recognition Award (2021). Peters teaches undergraduate veterinary histology and reptilian husbandry, and supervises postgraduate research in protistology and wildlife health, contributing significantly to veterinary education and global wildlife disease management.