Associate Professor Julie Old joined Western Sydney University in 2006. She has expertise in comparative and developmental immunology, native mammal biology, wildlife management, conservation and citizen science. She completed her PhD in 2002 in marsupial immunology and worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at Macquarie University prior to commencing her position at WSU. Julie’s research combines immunology, developmental biology, molecular biology, anatomy, microscopy, ecological techniques and citizen science to solve important issues in wildlife health and disease, especially marsupials. She established the School of Science and Health Small Native Mammal Teaching and Research Facility in 2009 and continued to manage it for teaching and research until 2018, and is the Chief Investigator of the Citizen Science project, WomSAT. Since 1998, her research has resulted in over 120 research publications in high impact journals including PLoS One and DCI, and a regular reviewer of national and international journals and research grant applications. Julie is a Director on The Wombat Foundation Board, and a member of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Advisory Council, Audit and Compliance Committee, and Metro Regional Advisory Committee, Environmental Trust Invasive Species Technical Review Committee, and formerly a Director and the President of the Australian Wildlife Society (2018-2023). Julie has also been recognised internationally as a Senior Fellow by the Higher Education Academy for her excellence in teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students, and support of those new to teaching in Higher Education.