Rate My Professor Rebecca French

Dr. Rebecca French is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Otago. She earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Viral Ecology from the University of Sydney between November 2018 and September 2022. Prior to her PhD, she studied Conservation Biology at Massey University from March 2017 to June 2018 and Wildlife Management at the University of Otago from February 2016 to November 2016. Her research employs advanced bioinformatics, metagenomics, and ecological analyses to study viral diversity, transmission dynamics, pathogen discovery, and cross-species spillover in New Zealand wildlife and ecosystems. French conducts fieldwork in remote island environments, including sub-Antarctic regions, focusing on endangered species such as kākāpō, New Zealand sea lions, penguins, and invasive mammals like rats. Her work addresses conservation challenges, virus evolution, emergence, and the impacts of human land use on microbial communities.

French has authored or co-authored 37 publications, with key works including 'Evidence for a Role of Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis and Streptococcus gallolyticus in the Aetiology of Exudative Cloacitis in the Critically Endangered Kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus)' (2025), 'Diversity and cross-species transmission of viruses in a remote island ecosystem: implications for wildlife conservation' (2024), 'Host phylogeny shapes viral transmission networks in an island ecosystem' (2023), 'Human land use impacts viral diversity and abundance in a New Zealand river' (2022), and 'An Ecosystems Perspective on Virus Evolution and Emergence' (2019). Her research has identified bacterial co-infections causing kākāpō 'crusty bum' disease and uncovered novel viruses in sea lion faeces and invasive mammals. In 2025, she was awarded the Aotearoa New Zealand Tāwhia te Mana Mana Tūāpapa Future Leader Fellowship, a four-year grant to investigate viruses in Polynesian ship and Norway rats for potential zoonotic risks. French has delivered seminars at the University of Otago on viral diversity drivers, emerging high-consequence viruses, and kākāpō health. Her contributions advance understanding of pathogen surveillance for wildlife conservation and public health.