Rate My Professor James MacGregor

James MacGregor serves as an Adjunct in the Centre for Terrestrial Ecosystem Science and Sustainability at Murdoch University, within the School of Veterinary and Life Sciences. He qualified as a veterinarian in 1995 and has since worked in mixed veterinary practice, primarily in northwest Tasmania at clinics such as Wynyard and Ulverstone Veterinary Clinic. MacGregor earned a Master of Veterinary Studies degree in Conservation Medicine from Murdoch University, during which he conducted a nine-month field study investigating the prevalence of mucormycosis in platypuses in northwest Tasmania. In 2015, he completed his Doctor of Philosophy at Murdoch University, with the thesis titled 'Conservation of the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus): Development of a framework to assess the health of wild platypus populations,' supervised by Kris Warren, Carly Holyoake, Ian Robertson, and Trish Fleming. His doctoral research involved capture-mark-release methods using fyke nets, health examinations under anesthesia including morphometrics, body condition via Tail Volume Index, parasite assessments, and laboratory analyses for biochemistry, haematology, microbiology, and genetics in platypus populations from the Inglis River and Seabrook Creek catchments.

MacGregor's research specializes in wildlife health and conservation, with a primary focus on platypus population health assessment and infectious diseases. He has contributed to baseline health data for Tasmanian platypuses, documenting low prevalence of diseases like mucormycosis, leptospirosis, and salmonellosis, common tick infestations, and genetic diversity via MHC class II analysis. Key publications include 'Novel use of in-stream microchip readers to monitor wild platypuses' (2014, Pacific Conservation Biology), 'Investigation into individual health and exposure to infectious agents of free-living platypuses (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) in Tasmania' (2017), 'Assessing body condition in the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus): a comparison of new and old methods' (2016), 'Preliminary investigation into the prevalence of mucormycosis in the platypus in three catchments in north-west Tasmania' (2010, Australian Veterinary Journal), and co-authored 'A novel Ehrlichia species in blood and Ixodes ornithorhynchi ticks from the platypus' (2018). His work, totaling over 20 research outputs with approximately 142 citations, advances monitoring techniques such as remote microchip detection and body condition scoring, supporting platypus conservation efforts.