The 2026 Australian Society for Parasitology Annual General Meeting will take place on Wednesday July 1, 2026 at 3:30pm* (AEST) at Mantra on View Surfers Pardise and online by Zoom. *Please note this start time may change. You will receive an email with the link to join this meeting. The agenda, minutes and reports for ASP meetings will be available on WildApricot / members / resources section. To access them please login to your Wildapricot account and check the members resources or email the Secretary (secretary@parasite.org.au).
The following business will be conducted at the Annual General Meeting of the Society:
• receiving the Society’s financial statement, and audit report, for the last reportable financial year;
• presenting the financial statement and audit report to the meeting for adoption;
• electing members of the Council (see details below);
• appointing an auditor or an accountant for the present financial year;
• announcement of ASP Awards and Prizes;
• receipt of reports from Editors, Convenors, Archivists, Secretariat and subcommittees; and
• review and debate other actions or decisions by the Council.
Every year the Australian Society for Parasitology (ASP) seeks nominations for positions on the ASP Council. To nominate someone you must be a member of the ASP. To be a member of the ASP Council you must be an eligible (under section 61A of the Act) adult and a member of the ASP. Check whether you are a financial member on the ASP membership site (https://asp.wildapricot.org/ ).
The ASP is an inclusive organisation. We strongly encourage applications from Indigenous Australians, people with disability, people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, parasitologists of all ages and career stages and LGBQTIA+ people.
The Society is also committed to achieving gender equality across all its Committees including, but not limited to, the ASP Council. The Society recognises and values the wealth of talent, creativity and discoveries achieved by women in parasitology. We acknowledge that women continue to be under-represented in the field, particularly at senior levels. The Society is, therefore, committed to gender equality in our discipline and in the Society. (Read about Gender Equality within the ASP Principles, By-Laws and Guidelines https://www.parasite.org.au/the-society/constitution/).
ASP Council Positions
ASP President
The ASP President is a position of great responsibility. It is anticipated that you would devote 700 volunteer hours of your time to this position for the ASP across a four year period.
The President-Elect shall be elected for a period of one term at the second Annual General Meeting in the term of the preceding President. At the conclusion of this term, the President-Elect will become President, serving two terms as President. At the conclusion of those two terms, the President will become Vice President and serve one term as Vice President.
Here is the position description for the ASP President
ASP Treasurer
Working closely with the ASP Executive and ASP Secretary, the ASP Treasurer is also a position of great responsibility. It is anticipated that you would devote 400 volunteer hours of your time to this position for the ASP across a two year period.
The Treasurer shall be elected for a period of two terms at every second Annual General Meeting.
Position description for the ASP Treasurer
ASP Executive Secretary
Working closely with the ASP Executive and ASP Secretary, the ASP Executive Secretary is also a position of great responsibility. It is anticipated that you would devote 400 volunteer hours of your time to this position for the ASP across a two year period.
The ASP Executive Secretary shall be elected for a period of two terms at every second Annual General Meeting.
Position description for the ASP Executive Secretary
State and Territory representatives, the representative from the Society’s Fellowship and Student representative
State and Territory representatives, the Fellows representative and the Student representative make up the ASP Council, along with the ASP Executive team and vote on decisions that affect the ASP. These are also positions of great responsibility. It is anticipated that you would devote a minimum of 50 volunteer hours of your time per year to this position for the ASP for a 1-3 year period, depending on how many terms you serve.
The State and Territory representatives, the representative from the Society’s Fellowship and Student representative will be elected for a single term and may not serve more than three consecutive terms.
A term is defined by the period elapsing between the termination of one Annual General Meeting and the termination of the next Annual General Meeting.
Position description for the ASP State and Territory Representatives
Position description for the ASP Fellows Representative
Position description for the ASP Student Representative
Rules
A member of the Council must be a member of the Society.
A member of the Society may be appointed to a casual vacancy on the Council under rule 20 “Vacancies on the Council” of the ASP Constitution 2019.
Electing the Council
How do I elect a member of the Council?
Any two members of the Society may nominate another member (the candidate) to serve as a member of the Council;
The nomination must be:
(i) in writing; and
(ii) agreed and endorsed by the candidate and the members who nominated him or her; and
(iii) submitted to the Secretary (secretary@parasite.org.au) at least one month before the Annual General Meeting at which the election is to be held;
How will we vote for the ASP Council positions?
Each member of the Society present and eligible to vote at the Annual General Meeting may vote for one candidate for each vacant position on the Council.
What is there are no candidates nominated for a Council position at the AGM?
If, at the start of the meeting, there are not enough candidates nominated, nominations may be taken from the floor of the meeting.
Who can be a candidate?
An adult who is not ineligible to be elected as a member under section 61A of the Queensland (QLD) Associations Incorporation Act 1981 (https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/pdf/inforce/current/act-1981-074 ).
Remember that a member of the Council must be a member of the Society.
How and when will we know who the candidates are?
A list of the candidate’s names in alphabetical order, with the names of the members who nominated each candidate, will be posted on the ASP website (https://www.parasite.org.au/the-society/ ) at least one week immediately preceding the Annual General Meeting.
What responsibility do the ASP Council Executive have?
The Council Executive must ensure that, before a candidate is elected as a member of the Council, the candidate is advised:
(a) whether or not the Society has public liability insurance; and
(b) if the Society has public liability insurance—the amount of the insurance.
See ASP Constitution 2019 for more detailed information about ASP Council https://www.parasite.org.au/the-society/constitution/
Council Positions
The following nominations for Council representatives were voted in at the ASP AGM on Wednesday July 2, 2025, 5:00pm-7:00pm (AEST) in Melbourne, Australia and online via zoom. If, at the start of the meeting, there are not enough candidates nominated for an ASP Council position, nominations may be taken from the floor of the meeting.
President, 2026
Aaron Jex, WEHI/University of Melbourne, was elected into the position of President 2026. He was elected into the position of President-Elect 28 August 2024, nominated by ASP members Clare Anstead and Robin Gasser.
President-Elect, 2026
There are two nominations for ASP President-Elect, 2026
Katja Fischer, QIMR Berghofer has been nominated for the position of ASP President-Elect, 2026. She was nominated by ASP members Aaron Jex and Danny Wilson.
I wish to express my interest in the position of President-Elect of the Australasian Society for Parasitology (ASP). As a Senior Group Leader at QIMR Berghofer, I am committed to advancing parasitology through collaborative research, capacity building, and regional and global impact.
My engagement with parasitology and ASP began during my PhD and early postdoctoral work in malaria genomics. As part of the malaria genome consortium, I contributed to chromosome mapping and gene discovery underpinning the Plasmodium falciparum genome assembly and identified subtelomeric gene families involved in antigenic variation. This early work established my long-term commitment to parasitology and continues to inform my research approach.
I now lead internationally connected programs focused on scabies and associated bacterial diseases, spanning discovery through to implementation in remote and resource-limited settings. This work sits at the intersection of tropical health, Indigenous health, and global equity, and relies on strong cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional collaboration – closely aligning with ASP’s mission.
A central focus of my work is education and outreach. Since 2014, I have secured ~$180,000 to deliver hands-on parasitology programs in remote Far North Queensland schools, and to support annual, fully funded work experience placements at QIMR Berghofer in partnership with the QUT Oodgeroo Unit and ASP. These initiatives are creating clear pathways into higher education and are expanding across disciplines, with continued support including funding for 2026.
I have a strong track record in securing competitive funding and fostering collaborative research, and I am committed to supporting early- and mid-career researchers. I also contribute to global health advocacy, including work that supported recognition of scabies as a Neglected Tropical Disease, and advisory roles with WHO.
I bring over a decade of leadership experience in research strategy, governance, and mentoring, alongside leading international consortia and partnerships across Australia, Europe, and low-resource settings. My engagement with ASP spans more than two decades. I have been a member since 1999 and was honoured to receive the Bancroft-Mackerras Medal (ASP, 2020) and the Bancroft Medal for Indigenous Health Impact (QIMR Berghofer, 2023). Since 2018, I have contributed annually to training through full-day Concepts in Parasitology modules for early-career researchers.
I am deeply grateful for the nomination for ASP President – an opportunity I regard as both a privilege and a responsibility.
Throughout my career, I have benefited greatly from the Society’s support, networks, and community, and I am keen to give back in a meaningful way. As President-Elect, I would focus on strengthening ASP’s visibility, supporting the next generation of parasitologists, and fostering collaboration across disciplines and regions. I am committed to contributing to a connected, inclusive, and impactful ASP community.
Haylee Crawford-Weaver has been nominated for the position of ASP President-Elect, 2026. She was nominated by ASP members Danny Wilson and Aaron Jex.
Dr Haylee Crawford-Weaver is a Fellow of the ASP and has served on Council as Archivist since 2010; having joined the Society in 2004. Haylee started out as a researcher in wildlife parasite ecology and taxonomy and held positions in research and lecturing at the ANU and the University of the Sunshine Coast. During that time, her work was showcased as an invited speaker for the Theme Symposium at the 2009 WAAVP conference, and as a panellist for the outreach event Melbourne Conversations: Climate Change, New Diseases and Parasites, part of the ICOPA XII congress in 2010. Haylee received a Churchill Fellowship in 2012, to advance knowledge of taxonomy of wildlife parasites.
Haylee moved to the public service in 2015 to work at the Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS) in the federal Environment portfolio. As the national taxonomic advisor for fauna, Haylee built strong links within the public and private sectors and is now established as a leader for the field of taxonomy and systematics in Australia. Haylee contributed expertise as an invited workshop participant to uplift marine parasite taxonomy held at the Flanders Marine Institute in Belgium in 2017. Haylee represented the Society at Science Meets Parliament in 2018. Haylee is a member of many committees that set strategy and influence policy, including national peak bodies for fauna and botanical research collections sector, the leadership panel for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, and the leadership team for the international Catalogue of Life consortium. In her current role as the Director of Biodiversity Science and Knowledge, Haylee is responsible for developing strategic direction and supervising operational activities across four work areas comprising 35 staff and worth over $20m annually. Haylee oversees implementation of research grant funding programs, facilitation and support for national-level species discovery expeditions, national digital research infrastructure for nomenclature of species, and is the Deputy Director of the Australian National Herbarium.
The ASP membership skews heavily towards academic representation. Haylee believes that the Society benefits from a broader range of perspectives and is keen to foster greater participation from public service, private enterprise and non-academic research areas, for the ongoing benefit of the Society and its members. Haylee’s work is at the nexus of national and international research and policy. Her skills in translating research for real-world outcomes, ability to build effective partnerships, strong strategic focus and Society-specific corporate knowledge uniquely qualifies her to lead the Society.
Read Haylee’s ASP Fellowship citation here.
Treasurer, 2026
Samantha Emery-Corbin, Monash University, was voted into the position of Treasurer, 2026 on 2 July 2025. She was nominated by ASP members Aaron Jex and Clare Anstead.
Executive Secretary, 2026
Jake Baum, UNSW, was voted into the position of Executive Secretary, 2026 on 2 July 2025. He was nominated by ASP members Aaron Jex and Clare Anstead.
Victorian State Representative, 2026
Patsy Zendejas, University of Melbourne, has been has been nominated for the position of Victorian State Representative, 2026. She was nominated by ASP members Aaron Jex and Clare Anstead.
New South Wales State Representative, 2026
Claire Sayers, UNSW, has been has been nominated for the position of New South Wales State Representative, 2026. She was nominated by ASP Members Kate Hutson and Grace Peters.
Queensland State Representative, 2026
Deepani Fernando, QIMR Berghofer, has been nominated for the position of Queensland State Representative, 2026. She has been nominated by ASP members Grace Peters and Sarah Preston.
Northern Territory Representative, 2026
Deborah Holt, CDU, has been nominated for the position of Northern Territory Representative, 2026. She has been nominated by ASP members Kamil Braima and Thien Phuc Tran.
Tasmanian State Representative, 2026
Kate Hutson has been nominated for the position of Tasmanian State Representative, 2026. She was nominated by ASP members Breanna Knight and Haylee Weaver.
Australian Capital Territory State Representative, 2026
Brendan McMorran has been nominated for the position of ACT State Representative, 2026. He was nominated by ASP members Aaron Jex and Kate Hutson.
South Australia State Representative, 2026
There are two nominees for the position of South Australia State Representative, 2026.
The first nominee:
Dianne Barton, SARDI and CSU, has been nominated for the position of South Australia State Representative, 2026. She has been nominated by ASP Members Ian Beveridge and Shokoofeh Shamsi.
and the second nominee:
Kaitlin Turland, Adelaide University, has been nominated for the position of South Australia State Representative, 2026. She has been nominated by ASP members Danny Wilson and Melanie Ridgway.
Western Australia State Representative, 2026
Breanna Knight has been nominated for the position of Western Australia State Representative, 2026. She was nominated by ASP Members Kate Hutson and Deepani Fernando.
ASP Student Representative, 2026
Grace Peters, PhD candidate at UNSW, has been nominated for the position of ASP Student Representative, 2026 she was nominated by ASP members Kate Hutson and Claire Sayers.
ASP Fellows Representative, 2026
Denise Doolan, University of Queensland, has been nominated for the position of ASP Fellows Representative, 2026 she was nominated by ASP members Robin Gasser and Deepani Fernando.
Timeline for next ASP Council Elections
6 months before the 2026 ASP AGM – Open Applications
1 month before the 2026 ASP AGM – Close Applications
1 week before the 2026 ASP AGM – ASP members will be emailed list of nominees for ASP Council positions
2026 ASP AGM, 1 July, 2026 – Elections and announcement of ASP Council
