Brian Cooke

Brian shares his research time between the Institute of Applied Ecology and the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre as well as finding time for collaborative research in Europe with partners in the Leibnitz Institute for Zoo Research in Berlin, Germany, and the Institute for Hunting and Wildlife Research (IREC) in Ciudad Real, Spain. As a Research Fellow in the IAE, Brian continues his interest in biological control of invasive species. He mainly works on the epidemiology of Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus with the aim of documenting the consequences and benefits of its 1995 introduction into Australia as well as following its on-going co-evolution in relation to apparent development of resistance in the rabbit host. He is developing a broad theoretical framework for understanding the epidemiology of rabbit haemorrhagic disease as an example of how newly emergent viruses interact with and are often limited by other related viruses. This work is important for the long term management of animal diseases not only for biological control of rabbits in Australia but also for their conservation in Europe.