Rate My Professor Jerusha Bennett

Dr Jerusha Bennett is a Lecturer in the Department of Zoology within the Division of Sciences at the University of Otago. A New Zealander from Geraldine, she completed her BSc, MSc in Ecology, and PhD at the University of Otago. Her MSc examined trophic transmission routes of cestode parasites of New Zealand skates. Subsequently, in collaboration with Bronwen Presswell and the Otago Museum, she investigated parasite biodiversity in New Zealand birds and fishes, describing new species, resolving life cycles with genetic markers, and assembling the country's largest parasite collection. This research culminated in her PhD, which mapped parasite transmission patterns across the entire food web of the Otago coastal ecosystem by genetically matching larval and adult helminth stages in major food chains.

Dr Bennett leads the Te Rōpū Pirinoa research group on host-parasite interactions and participates in the Department of Zoology's Evolutionary and Ecological Parasitology Research Group. Her research interests encompass the biology, ecology, evolution, and impacts of host-parasite interactions in New Zealand, with emphasis on parasites in aquatic ecosystems, emerging aquatic diseases, parasites as pollution sponges, disease resilience in mariculture, and proactive parasitology through baseline wildlife parasite data. She has dissected over 1,500 birds and identified more than 50,000 parasites, and supervises postgraduate students. Current partnerships include the Cawthron Institute under an MBIE Endeavour grant focusing on parasites as agents of emerging infectious diseases in aquatic organisms. She received a 3-year Marsden Fast-Start grant (2026-2029) for parasites as pollution sponges and contributes to MBIE Endeavour projects Emerging Aquatic Diseases (2023-2028, Cawthron-led) and Rebuilding Productive Coastal Economies (2025-2030, Otago-led). Key publications include 'Temperature driving a mass killer: Assessing the risk of trematode outbreaks for New Zealand seabirds' (Bennett et al., 2026, Parasitology), 'Endoparasite communities of New Zealand penguins differ over time and among species' (Bennett et al., 2025, Marine Biology), 'Hidden hosts: Limpets as key players in trematode transmission' (Li et al., 2026, Journal of Helminthology), 'Brain-encysting trematodes increase the frequency but reduce the repeatability of surfacing behaviour in mottled triplefin' (Viriyautsahakul et al., 2025, Ethology), and 'Variability among taxonomists in helminth species discrimination decisions: A noise audit' (Poulin et al., 2025, International Journal for Parasitology). Her work has garnered over 400 citations.