Dr Alison Peel

Dr Alison Peel is a veterinarian and wildlife disease ecologist in the Sydney School of Veterinary Science. She holds a prestigious Sydney Horizon Fellowship into associations between bat ecology, bat virome dynamics and the human health risk of emerging bat viruses.

Dr Peel’s research falls within a One Health context, focusing on how human environmental impacts, ecological change and climate cycles contribute to the emergence and ongoing spillover of viruses from bats.

Her expertise spans multiple continents (Australia, Africa, Europe) and multiple disciplines, including veterinary epidemiology and the links between wildlife ecology, climate, ecosystem health and disease ecology.

After completing veterinary training, Dr Peel undertook her PhD at the University of Cambridge on viruses in African fruit bats. She developed her research into Hendra virus transmission at Griffith University, where she was a DECRA Senior Research Fellow.

Dr Peel’s current research looks at the complex interactions between land-use change, flying foxes and the dynamics and fatal spillover of Hendra virus to horses and people, and how interactions within the diverse community of viruses in flying-foxes contribute to bat virus spillover in general. She collaborates within international One Health networks to explain the root causes of spillover and identify sustainable solutions that harness natural ecosystem processes to both prevent viral emergence and solve the environmental and public health crises we have created.

COMPLETED POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH SUPERVISION:

2022 – Devin Jones(PhD) – The role of the gut microbiome in flying foxes in the within-host dynamics of emerging infectious diseases. Montana State University (External Supervisor)

2021 – Jessica Mitchell (MSc) – Birth pulse characteristics for Australian flying foxes. University of Queensland

2020 – Tamika Lunn (PhD) – Within- and between-host processes driving infection dynamics of Hendra virus in Pteropus bats. Griffith University

2019 – Eloise Stephenson (PhD) – Understanding the ecology of Ross River virus; novel approaches and new insights into non-human reservoirs. Griffith University

2017 – John Giles (PhD) – Determining the role of flying fox population dynamics in the emergence of Hendra virus. Griffith University

2018 – Jaewoon Jeong (PhD) – Modelling Viral Infectious Diseases of Bats in Australia. Griffith University

2009 – Melissa Nollet (MWAH) – Population structure of African fruit bats. Masters in Wild Animal Health. Royal Vet College and Institue of Zoology, UK.

Associations between bat ecology, bat virome dynamics and the human health risk of emerging bat viruses.

Dr Peel is the Australian lead of the Bat One Health research team – a team who has collected over 60,000 biological samples from flying foxes across >30 sites since 2017. Outcomes of this work to date have included: the largest longitudinal Hendra virus and Cedar virus surveillance effort ever undertaken, detection of excretion of a novel Hendra virus genotype from two species, a novel Menangle-like pararubulavirus (closely related to a known zoonosis and shown to be cytopathogenic in human and pig cell lines), a large number of novel henipaviruses, and the first insights into spatiotemporal dynamics of six viral lineages of native beta-coronaviruses.

Her Horizon project will extend this work, undertaking a major genomics program using RNA sequencing of about 2,000 samples to identify the broad mechanisms that promote virus excretion from bats, including during high-risk periods and from bats experiencing different ecological conditions across time and space. She is particularly interested in interactions between different viruses – at a population level and within individuals (co-infection). This work is expected to generate billions of new sequences for virome mining, which, when paired with extensive ecological datasets, will provide insights into bat health and spillover risk.

Ultimately, Dr Peel hopes to generalise her findings to other bat species in Australia and internationally, broadening understanding of the broader virome within bats.

CURRENT POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH SUPERVISION:

Brent Jones (PhD) – Viral community dynamics in Australian flying-foxes. Griffith University

Belinda Linnegar (PhD) – Horses and emerging zoonotic diseases – Griffith University

Avirup Sanyal (PhD) – The effect of viral co-infections on spillovers from bats. University of Sydney

Cinthia Pietromonaco (PhD) Diet of Black and Grey Headed Flying Foxes in Australia – Adaptive Responses and Nutritional Assessment. University of Sydney

Jessica Mitchell (PhD) – Characterisation of retroviruses in Australian flying foxes – University of Queensland

K9 Jenns (PhD) – Flying Foxes as Reservoirs and Horses as Sentinels for Emerging Viruses in Australia – Our Understanding Captured Through Metatranscriptomics University of Sydney

Kevin Moore (PhD) – Wildlife reservoirs of Japanese Encephalitis Virus in Australia. Griffith University

Alexandre Bernier-Graveline (PhD) – Role of Cetacean Energy reserves on the toxicological risk posed by lipophilic contaminant burdens – Griffith University

Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID)

One Health ‘Human Animal Spillover and Emerging Diseases Scanning’ (HASEDS) working group

Wildlife Health Australia Bat Health Focus Group

Wildlife Disease Association

Australasian Bat Society

Wildlife Health Australia

Australasian Virology Society

2023 – Vice Chancellor’s Award for Research Excellence for a Mid Career Researcher, Griffith University Vice Chancellor Excellence Awards

2023 – Mid Career Researcher Excellence Award, Griffith Sciences Pro Vice Chancellor Excellence Awards

2022 – Finalist, Rising Star, 25th Women in Technology (WiT) Awards

2019 – Excellence in Health and Safety Initiative/Leadership, Griffith Sciences Pro Vice Chancellor Excellence Awards

Publications

Journals

  • Plowright, R., Ahmed, A., Coulson, T., Crowther, T., Ejotre, I., Faust, C., Frick, W., Hudson, P., Kingston, T., Nameer, P., et al (2024). Ecological countermeasures to prevent pathogen spillover and subsequent pandemics. Nature Communications, 15(1). [More Information]
  • McKee, C., Peel, A., Hayman, D., Suu-Ire, R., Ntiamoa-Baidu, Y., Cunningham, A., Wood, J., Webb, C., Kosoy, M. (2024). Ectoparasite and bacterial population genetics and community structure indicate extent of bat movement across an island chain. Parasitology. [More Information]
  • Linnegar, B., Kerlin, D., Eby, P., Kemsley, P., McCallum, H., Peel, A. (2024). Horse populations are severely underestimated in a region at risk of Hendra virus spillover. Australian Veterinary Journal, 102(7), 342-352. [More Information]

2024

  • Plowright, R., Ahmed, A., Coulson, T., Crowther, T., Ejotre, I., Faust, C., Frick, W., Hudson, P., Kingston, T., Nameer, P., et al (2024). Ecological countermeasures to prevent pathogen spillover and subsequent pandemics. Nature Communications, 15(1). [More Information]
  • McKee, C., Peel, A., Hayman, D., Suu-Ire, R., Ntiamoa-Baidu, Y., Cunningham, A., Wood, J., Webb, C., Kosoy, M. (2024). Ectoparasite and bacterial population genetics and community structure indicate extent of bat movement across an island chain. Parasitology. [More Information]
  • Linnegar, B., Kerlin, D., Eby, P., Kemsley, P., McCallum, H., Peel, A. (2024). Horse populations are severely underestimated in a region at risk of Hendra virus spillover. Australian Veterinary Journal, 102(7), 342-352. [More Information]

2023

  • Ruhs, E., Chia, W., Foo, R., Peel, A., Li, Y., Larman, H., Irving, A., Wang, L., Brook, C. (2023). Applications of VirScan to broad serological profiling of bat reservoirs for emerging zoonoses. Frontiers in Public Health, 11. [More Information]
  • Becker, D., Eby, P., Madden, W., Peel, A., Plowright, R. (2023). Ecological conditions predict the intensity of Hendra virus excretion over space and time from bat reservoir hosts. Ecology Letters, 26(1), 23-36. [More Information]
  • Faust, C., Castellanos, A., Peel, A., Eby, P., Plowright, R., Han, B., Bharti, N. (2023). Environmental variation across multiple spatial scales and temporal lags influences Hendra virus spillover. Journal of Applied Ecology, 60(7), 1457-1467. [More Information]

2022

  • Woolaston, K., Nay, Z., Baker, M., Brockett, C., Bruce, M., Degeling, C., Gilbert, J., Jackson, B., Johnson, H., Peel, A., et al (2022). An argument for pandemic risk management using a multidisciplinary One Health approach to governance: an Australian case study. Globalization and Health, 18(1). [More Information]
  • Lunn, T., Peel, A., Eby, P., Brooks, R., Plowright, R., Kessler, M., McCallum, H. (2022). Counterintuitive scaling between population abundance and local density: Implications for modelling transmission of infectious diseases in bat populations. Journal of Animal Ecology, 91(5), 916-932. [More Information]
  • Sokolow, S., Nova, N., Jones, I., Wood, C., Lafferty, K., Garchitorena, A., Hopkins, S., Lund, A., MacDonald, A., LeBoa, C., et al (2022). Ecological and socioeconomic factors associated with the human burden of environmentally mediated pathogens: a global analysis. The Lancet Planetary Health, 6(11), e870-e879. [More Information]

2021

  • Rocha, R., Aziz, S., Brook, C., Carvalho, W., Cooper-Bohannon, R., Frick, W., Huang, J., Kingston, T., López-Baucells, A., Maas, B., et al (2021). Bat conservation and zoonotic disease risk: a research agenda to prevent misguided persecution in the aftermath of COVID-19. Animal Conservation, 24(3), 303-307. [More Information]
  • Anstey, S., Kasimov, V., Jenkins, C., Legione, A., Devlin, J., Amery-Gale, J., Gilkerson, J., Hair, S., Perkins, N., Peel, A., et al (2021). Chlamydia psittaci st24: Clonal strains of one health importance dominate in australian horse, bird and human infections. Pathogens, 10(8). [More Information]
  • Lunn, T., Eby, P., Brooks, R., McCallum, H., Plowright, R., Kessler, M., Peel, A. (2021). Conventional wisdom on roosting behavior of Australian flying-foxes—A critical review, and evaluation using new data. Ecology and Evolution, 11(19), 13532-13558. [More Information]

2020

  • Skinner, E., Murphy, A., Jansen, C., Shivas, M., McCallum, H., Onn, M., Reid, S., Peel, A. (2020). Associations between Ross River Virus Infection in Humans and Vector-Vertebrate Community Ecology in Brisbane, Australia. Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, 20(9), 680-691. [More Information]
  • Eby, P., Plowright, R., McCallum, H., Peel, A. (2020). Conditions predict heightened Hendra virus spillover risk in horses this winter: actions now can change outcomes. Australian Veterinary Journal, 98(6), 270-271.
  • Peel, A., Field, H., Aravena, M., Edson, D., McCallum, H., Plowright, R., Prada, D. (2020). Coronaviruses and Australian bats: A review in the midst of a pandemic. Australian Journal of Zoology, 67(6), 346-360. [More Information]

2019

  • Brook, C., Ranaivoson, H., Broder, C., Cunningham, A., Heraud, J., Peel, A., Gibson, L., Wood, J., Metcalf, C., Dobson, A. (2019). Disentangling serology to elucidate henipa- and filovirus transmission in Madagascar fruit bats. Journal of Animal Ecology, 88(7), 1001-1016. [More Information]
  • Lunn, T., Restif, O., Peel, A., Munster, V., De Wit, E., Sokolow, S., Van Doremalen, N., Hudson, P., McCallum, H. (2019). Dose-response and transmission: The nexus between reservoir hosts, nvironment and recipient hosts. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 374(1782). [More Information]
  • Sokolow, S., Nova, N., Pepin, K., Peel, A., Pulliam, J., Manlove, K., Cross, P., Becker, D., Plowright, R., McCallum, H., et al (2019). Ecological interventions to prevent and manage zoonotic pathogen spillover. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 374(1782). [More Information]

2018

  • Kessler, M., Becker, D., Peel, A., Justice, N., Lunn, T., Crowley, D., Jones, D., Eby, P., Sánchez, C., Plowright, R. (2018). Changing resource landscapes and spillover of henipaviruses. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1429 (1), 79-99. [More Information]
  • Glennon, E., Restif, O., Sbarbaro, S., Garnier, R., Cunningham, A., Suu-Ire, R., Osei-Amponsah, R., Wood, J., Peel, A. (2018). Domesticated animals as hosts of henipaviruses and filoviruses: A systematic review. The Veterinary Journal, 233, 25-34. [More Information]
  • Giles, J., Eby, P., Parry, H., Peel, A., Plowright, R., Westcott, D., McCallum, H. (2018). Environmental drivers of spatiotemporal foraging intensity in fruit bats and implications for Hendra virus ecology. Scientific Reports, 8(1). [More Information]

2017

  • Páez, D., Giles, J., McCallum, H., Field, H., Jordan, D., Peel, A., Plowright, R. (2017). Conditions affecting the timing and magnitude of Hendra virus shedding across pteropodid bat populations in Australia. Epidemiology and Infection, 145(15), 3143-3153. [More Information]
  • Hardy, M., Desselle, M., Allen, J., Andrews, K., Barrington, D., Borg, D., Butler, K., Colvin, R., Cooper, T., Furlong, E., et al (2017). Engaging rural Australian communities in national science week helps increase visibility for women researchers. Royal Society Open Science, 4(10). [More Information]
  • Peel, A., Wood, J., Baker, K., Breed, A., Carvalho, A., Fernández-Loras, A., Gabrieli, H., Gembu, G., Kakengi, V., Kaliba, P., et al (2017). How Does Africa's Most Hunted Bat Vary Across the Continent? Population Traits of the Straw-Coloured Fruit Bat (Eidolon helvum) and Its Interactions with Humans. Acta Chiropterologica: international journal of bat biology, 19(1), 77-92. [More Information]

2016

  • Peel, A., Baker, K., Hayman, D., Suu-Ire, R., Breed, A., Gembu, G., Lembo, T., Fernández-Loras, A., Sargan, D., Fooks, A., et al (2016). Bat trait, genetic and pathogen data from large-scale investigations of African fruit bats, Eidolon helvum. Scientific Data, 3. [More Information]
  • Hayman, D., Peel, A. (2016). Can survival analyses detect hunting pressure in a highly connected species? Lessons from straw-coloured fruit bats. Biological Conservation, 200, 131-139. [More Information]
  • Giles, J., Plowright, R., Eby, P., Peel, A., McCallum, H. (2016). Models of Eucalypt phenology predict bat population flux. Ecology and Evolution, 6(20), 7230-7245. [More Information]

2014

  • Shi, J., Chan, L., Peel, A., Lai, R., Yoder, A., Goodman, S. (2014). A deep divergence time between sister species of eidolon (Pteropodidae) with evidence for widespread Panmixia. Acta Chiropterologica: international journal of bat biology, 16(2), 279-292. [More Information]
  • Horton, D., Banyard, A., Marston, D., Wise, E., Selden, D., Nunez, A., Hicks, D., Lembo, T., Cleaveland, S., Peel, A., et al (2014). Antigenic and genetic characterization of a divergent African virus, Ikoma lyssavirus. Journal of General Virology, 95(PART 5), 1025-1032. [More Information]
  • O'Shea, T., Cryan, P., Cunningham, A., Fooks, A., Hayman, D., Luis, A., Peel, A., Plowright, R., Wood, J. (2014). Bat flight and zoonotic viruses. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 20(5), 741-745. [More Information]

2013

  • Peel, A., Sargan, D., Baker, K., Hayman, D., Barr, J., Crameri, G., Suu-Ire, R., Broder, C., Lembo, T., Wang, L., et al (2013). Continent-wide panmixia of an African fruit bat facilitates transmission of potentially zoonotic viruses. Nature Communications, 4. [More Information]
  • Gilbert, A., Fooks, A., Hayman, D., Horton, D., Müller, T., Plowright, R., Peel, A., Bowen, R., Wood, J., Mills, J., et al (2013). Deciphering serology to understand the ecology of infectious diseases in wildlife. EcoHealth, 10(3), 298-313. [More Information]
  • Hayman, D., Bowen, R., Cryan, P., Mccracken, G., O'Shea, T., Peel, A., Gilbert, A., Webb, C., Wood, J. (2013). Ecology of Zoonotic Infectious Diseases in Bats: Current Knowledge and Future Directions. Zoonoses and Public Health, 60(1), 2-21. [More Information]

2012

  • Wood, J., Leach, M., Waldman, L., MacGregor, H., Fooks, A., Jones, K., Restif, O., Dechmann, D., Hayman, D., Baker, K., et al (2012). A framework for the study of zoonotic disease emergence and its drivers: Spillover of bat pathogens as a case study. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 367(1604), 2881-2892. [More Information]
  • Billeter, S., Hayman, D., Peel, A., Baker, K., Wood, J., Cunningham, A., Suu-Ire, R., Dittmar, K., Kosoy, M. (2012). Bartonella species in bat flies (Diptera: Nycteribiidae) from western Africa. Parasitology, 139(3), 324-329. [More Information]
  • Peel, A., Baker, K., Crameri, G., Barr, J., Hayman, D., Wright, E., Broder, C., Fernández-Loras, A., Fooks, A., Wang, L., et al (2012). Henipavirus neutralising antibodies in an isolated island population of African fruit bats. PloS One, 7(1). [More Information]

2010

  • Peel, A., Rossiter, S., Wood, J., Cunningham, A., Sargan, D. (2010). Characterization of microsatellite loci in the straw-colored fruit bat, Eidolon helvum (Pteropodidae). Conservation Genetics Resources, 2(SUPPL.1), 279-282. [More Information]

2009

  • Peel, A., Bouts, T., Flach, E., Rivers, S., Routh, A. (2009). Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (Equine Cushing's Disease) in an onager (Equus hemionus onager). Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, 40(4), 773-780. [More Information]

2005

  • Peel, A., Vogelnest, L., Finnigan, M., Grossfeldt, L., O'Brien, J. (2005). Non-Invasive Fecal Hormone Analysis and Behavioral Observations for Monitoring Stress Responses in Captive Western Lowland Gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). Zoo Biology, 24, 431-445. [More Information]

Selected Grants

2025

  • Enhanced Viral Surveillance: A Capture Sequencing Panel for Emerging Bat Viruses, Peel A, Eden J, Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases (Sydney ID)/Sydney ID Seed Grants

2024

  • Empowering EMCRs through Global Networks: Advancing Collaboration on Climate and Zoonotic Disease Research, Peel A, Plowright R, Falvo C, Hunt B, Markotter W, Mortlock M, Geldenhuys M, Office of Global Engagement/Ignition Grants

In the media

Selected Media:

2025: Selected pieces on Flying Fox Paralysis Syndrome

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-13/lorikeet-paralysis-syndrome-killing-bats/104793018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-oARWLsmYY

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jan/13/australia-rainbow-lorikeet-flying-fox-deaths-mystery-paralysis?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

2022-23 – Selected stories on “Pathogen spillover driven by rapid changes in bat ecology” publication in Nature:

The Economist: Habitat loss and climate change increase the risk of new diseases. https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2023/01/31/habitat-loss-and-climate-change-increase-the-risk-of-new-diseases

New York Times: Deforestation Brings Bat-Borne Virus Home to Roost. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/16/health/deforestation-bats-hendra-virus.html?smid=url-share

Le Monde: Le renard volant eclaire l’emergence des pandemies. https://www.lemonde.fr/sciences/visuel/2023/01/05/le-renard-volant-eclaire-l-emergence-des-pandemies_6156676_1650684.html

Nature: Why do bat viruses keep infecting people. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03682-9

Pro Publica: The Scientist and the Bats:

https://www.propublica.org/article/australia-bats-hendra-research-pandemic-prevention

ABC News: Lost bat habitats key to predicting Hendra virus outbreaks affecting horses. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-25/hendra-virus-bat-habitat-flying-fox-research-horses/102011352

2020 – ABC Radio PM: Yes, bats have lots of viruses, but the spill over to humans is because of humans; says bat expert

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/pm/ecologist-urges-us-to-pause-before-blaming-bats-for-covid19/12178912

2012 – ABC Radio National: Hendra virus. https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/healthreport/hendra-virus/4050482

Videos:

2023 – ABC Landline: Bat Habitat: Predicting outbreaks of the deadly Hendra virus. https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/programs/landline/2023-02-26/bat-habitat:-predicting-outbreaks-of-the-deadly/102025388

2023 – Pro Publica: This Scientist Tracked Bats for Decades and Solved a Mystery About a Deadly Disease https://www.propublica.org/article/peggy-eby-video-bats-pandemic-virus

2023 – Griffith University: Climate and habitat destruction alter bat behaviour, increasing Hendra virus spillover https://youtu.be/7mePyIqMNYo

2019 – Griffith University: Synchronous shedding of multiple bat viruses coincides with peak periods of Hendra virus spillover: https://youtu.be/DvCwNtnc6UE

Articles in the conversation:

https://theconversation.com/profiles/alison-peel-259508/articles