Congratulations to 2025 Fellow of the Australian Society for Parasitology, Haylee Weaver!
Haylee Weaver is a parasite taxonomist, with research interests in the taxonomy of parasites, and parasite-host ecology. Haylee has woven parasitology into her entire working career which has spanned her work at The Australian National University, the University of the Sunshine Coast and the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Haylee Weaver has 38 publications; as a taxonomist, her work and research helps our understanding of biodiversity – and the flow-on application of that knowledge for ecological management, conservation, biosecurity, human and veterinary medicine, agriculture and fisheries, and even research and discovery for drug targets and diagnostics. Haylee has been a member of the Australian Society for Parasitology since 2008 and the ASP Archivist since 2010, devoting more than 750 volunteer hours to this role.
Haylee Weaver completed her Bachelor of Science (Biological Science) and Bachelor of Environmental Science (Honours I), at the School of Ecology and Environment, Deakin University in 2003 and in 2008 graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy, Department of Molecular and Life Sciences, Central Queensland University with the thesis title: “Biodiversity of the parasite fauna from the rodent genera Pseudomys and Zyzomys from northern Australia”. Haylee began her career in academia, researching and lecturing in Parasitology and Ecology of Health and Disease and Conservation Biology at The Australian National University, and later the University of the Sunshine Coast lecturing in invertebrate biology and ecology.
Haylee worked for the Australian Biological Resources Study, Biodiversity Science Section, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water from 2015-2022 coordinating advice and expertise for queries regarding the taxonomy and nomenclature of Australia’s fauna and flora, administering a research grant program, and working with scientists to improve capacity in, and increase knowledge of, the field of taxonomy and systematics and promoting the importance of taxonomy and systematics research as being the fundamental starting point for all other aspects of biological and ecological research, because current nomenclature is crucial for all decision-making. During this period Haylee also negotiated a Memorandum of Understanding between the Australian Faunal Directory and the World Register of Marine Species, for data sharing and collation of nomenclature and taxonomic data.
As the Director of Biodiversity Science & Knowledge Section for Parks Australia Division, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Haylee is responsible for the Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS), Bush Blitz, Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (Australian National Herbarium), Biodiversity Informatics, providing information and research that contributes to understanding and documenting Australia’s unique biodiversity, and the Australian National Species List database that presents over 200,000 current species names and taxonomy for Australian plants, animals and fungi.
At the International Congress of Parasitology (ICOPA XII) conference in Melbourne in 2010 Haylee Weaver was an “expert scientist” who gave an invited presentation at the Melbourne Conversations event: Climate Change, New Diseases and Parasites – What will it mean for Melbourne? on Tuesday 17 August at the Melbourne Recital Centre. This event highlighted the potential threats and disruption to our society imposed by infection in a changing environment and, importantly the suggestion of options to counter their impact. This public outreach event was supported by the Australian Society for Parasitology and part of ICOPA XII outreach program.
In the light of these contributions to parasitology and the ASP, we would like to nominate Haylee Weaver as a Fellow of the ASP.
