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Dr. Meagan Dewar

Lecturer, Cell Biology

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Campus

Berwick Campus

Biography

Dr Meagan Dewar is a lecturer in biological sciences with expertise in wildlife health, infectious diseases and microbial ecology, with a particular focus on Antarctic and Southern Ocean ecosystems and marine wildlife. Her research uses molecular and genomic approaches to investigate host-microbe interactions, pathogen dynamics and the impacts of environmental change on wildlife. 

Meagan’s work spans wildlife microbiomes, emerging infectious diseases and ecosystem health, including research on high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) and other health threats affecting seabirds and marine mammals. She has extensive experience applying next-generation sequencing techniques to study microbial communities and disease transmission in remote and extreme environments. 

A key focus of Meagan’s work is translating science into policy-relevant outcomes. She engages with international conservation and governance frameworks through contributions to bodies such as the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) and the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), supporting evidence-based decision-making on wildlife health and biosecurity. 

Meagan works collaboratively across disciplines, partnering with national and international researchers in wildlife biology, microbiology, veterinary science and environmental management, and is committed to science communication and responsible research in polar regions.

Fields of research

  • Microbial ecology
  • Vertebrate biology
  • Infectious agents

Available for

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More about Meagan

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science (Marine Biology), James Cook University
  • Bachelor of Applied Science (Honours), Victoria University
  • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Deakin University

Areas of interest

  • Host-pathogen and host-parasite interactions in wildlife
  • Infectious diseases in polar wildlife  
  • Microbiome of polar wildlife, sharks and seabirds  
  • Antarctic scientific policy  

Areas of expertise

  • Wildlife health and disease ecology
  • Antarctic and polar ecosystems
  • Wildlife microbiomes and host-microbe interactions
  • Emerging infectious diseases (including avian influenza)
  • Molecular and genomic approaches to disease surveillance
  • Science-policy interfaces in environmental and wildlife governance 

Grants

  • Dewar, M.L.  et al 2025. “ANTPATH: Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Pathogens in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic Wildlife | International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). ($$55,800) 
  • Dewar, M.L. et al 2024. Diseases of Antarctic Wildlife | International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). ($149,057) 
  • Dewar 2024. Monitoring and Detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in the Weddell Sea | International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). ($146,425)
  • Dewar, M., Butcher, P., Greenhill 2022. Pathogens and AMR in Oral Microbiota of Australian Sharks. DPI NSW. ($25,000) 
  • Dewar, M., Butcher, P., Greenhill 2021. Faecal Microbiome of White, Tiger and Bull Sharks. DPI NSW. ($25,000)
  • Dewar, Hart, Phillips, Serafini 2021. Pilot Study: Non-Invasive disease monitoring of Albatrosses and Petrels. ACAP. ($25,100) 
  • Dewar, Ayton, Emmerson, Southwell, Miller, Strauss 2019. Diseases of Antarctic Seabirds. | Australian Antarctic Science Grant. ($148,109) 
  • In-kind support (logistics):
    • 2025–26 HX Expeditions, ANTPATH: Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Pathogens in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic Wildlife.  
    • 2023–2025 Intrepid Tours, Diseases of Antarctic Wildlife.  
    • 2024 Consulting Antarctica.

Awards

  • 2025: Federation University Australia Commendation, Vice Chancellors Award for Excellence in Research 
  • 2024: Federation University Australia Commendation, Vice Chancellors Award for Excellence in Research 
  • 2020: Federation University Australia, Vice Chancellors Award for Excellence (Early Career Researcher)  

Past

  • Honours student, 'Genetic Analysis of Shark Oral Bacteria Using MinION Technology', primary supervisor.
  • Honours student, 'An Investigation into the Differences in Microbiome Composition of Wild and Captive Koalas', primary supervisor. 
  • Honours student, 'Microbial Diversity in Predatory Elasmobranchs: Influences of Age, Gender, and Species', primary supervisor.
  • Honours student, 'The Influence of Age and Sex on Cognitive Performance in the Columbian Ground Squirrel (Urocitellus columbianus)', primary supervisor. 
  • Honours student, 'Identifying differences in the microbiota of Cape Barren Geese across different habitats on Phillip Island during the non-breeding season', primary supervisor.  

  • Australian fauna
  • Climate and environmental issues in a changing world
  • Wildlife and ecosystem conservation 

Specialist roles

  • Chair, Antarctic Wildlife Health Network Action Group, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
  • Executive Committee Member, Penguin Specialist Group, IUCN

  • Publications

Emergence, spread, and impact of high-pathogenicity avian influenza H5 in wild birds and mammals of South America and Antarctica

Development of a portable avian influenza virus characterisation system: bringing the inside-out

The expanding H5N1 avian influenza panzootic causes high mortality of skuas in Antarctica