SETAC AU and ACEDD are pleased to announce Kate Fergusson and Gabriel Melhado (both Monash University) as the joint 2023 Peter Teasdale Memorial Award winners.
Kate’s research aims to determine whether and how exposure to a widespread psychoactive pharmaceutical pollutant impacts cognition in fish. The award’s funding was used to support the collection of wild guppies (Poecilia reticulata) from Townsville, Queensland in collaboration with two other Monash PhD students, Elly Moore and Jack Manera. This research will be one of the first to investigate the impacts of environmentally realistic concentrations of pharmaceutical pollution on cognition in fish. Given that fish play a key role in the functioning and stability of aquatic ecosystems, this project is expected to uncover important insights to inform better management and security of Australia’s biodiversity and freshwater resources, as well as inform policy makers in assessments of the potential impacts of this common pharmaceutical pollutant.
You can connect with Kate on LinkedIn and X (formally Twitter).
Gabriel's research aims to investigate the impact of fluoxetine, an antidepressant, on fish in changing climate conditions. Pharmaceuticals in water pose global threats by disrupting wildlife physiology and behaviour. Fluoxetine can alter fish behaviours and immune functions, such as leukocyte production, which is essential for disease resistance. As ectotherms, fish rely on external temperatures for physiological regulation. This makes them particularly vulnerable to climate-induced thermal anomalies that can weaken their immune responses and increase disease susceptibility, potentially leading to population declines. Despite the urgency, there is limited research on how pharmaceuticals and thermal variations interact to affect wildlife disease dynamics. Gabriel's study will address this gap by examining the combined effects of fluoxetine and temperature on fish behaviour and immunity, providing critical insights into the environmental challenges affecting fish fitness in a warming world. The award will cover the cost of laboratory analysis for fluoxetine concentration in water, the purchase of fish tanks, and bacterial lipopolysaccharide for activating fish immunity.
You can connect with Gabriel on LinkedIn and X.
Congratulations Kate, Gabriel and all other 2023 award nominees; the assessment panels were very impressed with the standard of the applications.
This award has been established jointly by SETAC-Australasia and the Australian Council of Environmental Deans and Directors (ACEDD) in honour of Professor Peter Teasdale. Peter's contribution to environmental chemistry and water research spanned more than 25 years and included the passionate support of research students and early career researchers.