Personal profile
Biography
Associate Professor Julie Old joined Western Sydney University in 2006. She is the Director of Learning and Teaching in the School of Science, and a school-based member of the Hawkesbury Institute of the Environment and the Translational Health Research Institute 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.
Related links
Qualifications
Master of Higher Education (Coursework), Macquarie University
Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education, Macquarie University
Postgraduate Certificate in Education, Macquarie University
Doctor of Philosophy, Western Sydney University
Bachelor of Science
External positions
Associate Editor, Australian Mammalogy
2023 → …
Member, Environmental Trust Invasive Species Technical Review Committee
2023 → …
Associate Editor, Frontiers in Parasitology, Immunity and Immune Invasion section
2023 → …
Review Editor, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, Parasitology section
2022 → …
Member, NSW NPWS Audit and Compliance Committee
2022 → …
Director, The Wombat Foundation
2022 → …
President, Australian Wildlife Society
2021 → 2023
Senior Vice President, Australian Wildlife Society
2020 → 2021
Member, NSW NPWS Advisory Council
2018 → …
Member, NSW NPWS Greater Sydney Branch Regional Advisory Committee
2018 → …
Director
2018 → 2020
Member, NSW NPWS Metro North East Regional Advisory Committee
2010 → 2018
Research keywords
- marsupial
- wildlife conservation
- comparative immunology
- native Australian mammals
- citizen science
- wildlife management
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
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SDG 15 Life on Land
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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A national-scale assessment of bare-nosed wombat (Vombatus ursinus) distribution patterns, using multisource data
Jiang, Y., Spencer, R. J., Stannard, H. J. & Old, J. M., 31 May 2026, In: Ecology and Evolution. 16, 6, 17 p., e73780.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
A systematic review of fluralaner as a treatment for ectoparasitic infections in mammalian species
Jiang, Y. & Old, J., Mar 2025, In: PeerJ. 13, 3, 49 p., e18882.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile7 Citations (Scopus)107 Downloads (Pure) -
Carnivorous marsupials
Jackson, S. M., Parrott, M. L., Dickman, C. R., Fancourt, B. A., Old, J., Holz, P. & Stannard, H., 2025, Australian Mammals: Biology and Captive Management. Jackson, S. M. (ed.). 2nd ed. CSIRO Publishing, p. 149-221 73 p.Research output: Chapter in Book / Conference Paper › Chapter › peer-review
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Determining environmental factors that influence the occurrence of sarcoptic mange in bare-nosed wombats (Vombatus ursinus) using citizen science data
Fryett, E. R., Subasinghe, C. N., Old, J. M. & Stannard, H. J., Dec 2025, In: Transboundary and Emerging Diseases. 2025, 13 p., 6264097.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Citation (Scopus)3 Downloads (Pure) -
Diurnal activity budget of the kultarr (Antechinomys laniger) in captivity
Stannard, H. J., Goodchild, L. M. & Old, J. M., 24 Feb 2025, In: Australian Mammalogy. 47, 1, 4 p., AM24038.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile17 Downloads (Pure)
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Monitoring the Effectiveness of Turtle Road Barriers on the M12 Motorway, Western Sydney
Spencer, R. (PI) & Old, J. (Investigator)
1/11/25 → 1/07/27
Project: Research
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Development of online wombat resource to educate the public
Old, J. (PI)
Wombat Protection Society of Australia
1/03/24 → 1/12/24
Project: Research
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School of Science Australian Wildlife Society Scholarship
Old, J. (PI), Spencer, R. (Supervisor), Kotzur, I. (Scholarship Recipient) & Petrov, K. (Scholarship Recipient)
22/11/19 → 31/05/24
Project: Research
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The impact of invasive buffel grass on the critically endangered northern hairy-nosed wombat
Old, J. (PI)
31/10/19 → 30/12/23
Project: Research
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Australian Citizen Science Association (Event)
Old, J. (Other)
1 Jan 2022 → …Activity: Membership › Association
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Wombat Protection Society of Australia, Inc (Event)
Old, J. (Other)
1 Jan 2017 → …Activity: Membership › Society
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Australian Collaborative Education Network (Event)
Old, J. (Other)
1 Jan 2011 → …Activity: Membership › Network