Lee Berger (biologist)

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.

Lee Berger
Born	16 January 1970 Epsom, England
Alma mater	University of Melbourne James Cook University
Awards	CSIRO Medal[1] Fellow, Australian Academy of Science[2] Frank Fenner Prize[3][4][5] Ian Clunies Ross Memorial Award[6]
Scientific career
Fields	Infectious diseases[2] Veterinary Science[2] Fungal Pathogenesis[2]
Thesis	Diseases in Australian Frogs (2001)
Doctoral advisor	Rick Speare

Early life and career

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]

Discovery of chytridiomycosis

Between the late 1970s and the 1990s a mysterious decline in frog species was observed in Australia.[8] Rick Speare theorised that this was caused by an infectious disease and hired Berger to study this.[8] At the time it was thought that infectious diseases could not cause an extinction.[3][11] However, in 1998 Berger was able to identify a fungus, called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, in the skin of the frog.[9] This fungus disrupts the skin, making the frogs unable to absorb electrolytes and water, ultimately causing them to die.[9] Her work on this infectious disease has helped to change practices in conservation around the world.[3]

Awards

• 2000 – CSIRO Medal for Research Achievement[1]
• 2007 – Ian Clunies Ross Memorial Award[6]
• 2011 – Australian Research Council Future Fellow[7]
• 2018 – Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year[3][4][5]
• 2020 – Fellow, Australian Academy of Science[2]

References

1. "CSIRO Medals 2000 – Research achievement – Amphibian disease team". CSIROpedia. 31 October 2000. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
2. "Lee Berger". Australian Academy of Science. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
3. "The Prime Minister's Science Prizes: all the winners". Cosmos Magazine. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
4. "Prime Minister's Prizes Honour Excellence in Science | Prime Minister of Australia". www.pm.gov.au. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
5. "Saving frogs, and revealing new extinction threats" (PDF). Retrieved 23 December 2019.
6. "Lee Berger". CSIROpedia. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
7. "Research Portfolio: Dr Lee Berger". James Cook University. 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
8. Morton, Adam (17 October 2018). "Landmark work on frog extinction crisis wins at PM's science prizes". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
9. "This deadly fungus is wiping out amphibians around the world". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
10. "A/Prof Lee Berger". findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
11. Berger, Lee; Skerratt, Lee Francis. "Fighting frog fungus: Lee Berger wins PM's Life Scientist 2018 award". The Conversation. Retrieved 23 December 2019.