From Molecules to Ecosystems: Uniting pathogen ecology, evolution and One Health across the Asia–Pacific region and beyond.
August 26-28 2026, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Abstract submissions close June 19 2026
Hosted by the University of Tasmania's School of Medicine in partnership with the Insititute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, the Tasmanian & Antarctic One Health Network (TAOH), Australian Society for Parasitology and Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease (EEID) Consortium.
About the Conference
The Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease: Asia–Pacific Chapter (EEID-AP 2026) is the first regional meeting of the international EEID conference series. Hosted in Hobart, Tasmania, this meeting will bring together ~200 delegates from across Asia, Oceania, and beyond to share cutting-edge research and practical advances in the ecology, evolution, and control of infectious diseases.
This inaugural event will strengthen regional collaboration and capacity in across the One Health space uniting wildlife, livestock, human, and environmental health researchers in one of the world's most biodiverse and disease-relevant continents.
Conference Themes
EEID-AP 2026 will focus on emerging and established pathogens across the region, with special emphasis on integrated approaches and innovative technologies. Key themes include:
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)
Evolution, spread, and risk at wildlife–livestock–human interfaces.
Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD)
A model for host–pathogen coevolution and wildlife disease resilience.
Antarctic/Island One Health Integration
Frameworks that bridge outbreak monitoring, field ecology, and public health practice.
Molecular and Genomic Techniques
From metagenomics to nanopore sequencing for real-time pathogen detection.
Modelling and Prediction
Machine learning, spatial modelling, and network epidemiology for disease forecasting.
Parasite Evolution and Host Adaptation
Understanding cross-species transmission, diversity, and emergence risk.
Scientific Program
The three-day program will include:
Plenary lectures
by leading international researchers in infectious disease ecology and evolution.
Thematic sessions
on molecular epidemiology, wildlife disease, and One Health policy translation.
Workshop for ECRs
TBD
Poster sessions
and rapid-fire presentations highlighting early-career and student research.
Networking events and hike
including a welcome reception, amazing conference dinner (with dancing), and a hike exploring Tasmania's unique ecosystems.
Confirmed Invited Speakers (thus far)
Professor Peter Hudson
(Penn State University, USA)
Peter Hudson FRS, IntFRSE, ARPS, FRGS, FBES, DSC, DPhil, BSc
Willaman Professor of Biology at Penn State University
Science Advisor/Co-founder to Random Good Foundation
Professor at Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science
Science Director at Paws Trails
In Science, he is a population ecologist and disease biologist who studies the ecology and evolution of infectious disease in free-living animal populations. His experiments have revealed the parasite-induced processes that drive population cycles (red grouse), the only successful experimental test of the theory of host-natural enemy cycles. He also developed the theory on the dilution effect and tested it experimentally in the field. He demonstrated the biased role of males in transmission (free living mice) and that parasite mediated competition can lead to localized extinction (pheasant and partridge). He examined how parasites interact with host behavior, physiology, climate, and community level effects including predation and competition. More recently, he has been examining the processes of disease invasion and the processes of spillover. This has included detailed studies on the spillover of Hendra virus from bats to horses and shown that spillover is predictable and that habitat restoration should reduce future pandemics. With colleagues he found that SARS-CoV-2 was circulating in white tailed deer and is seeking to find if it could persist in wildlife. He showed how infections invade released wolf populations and how canine distemper selects for black wolves. He is currently working on how to make food webs dynamical and to understand the ecology of Yellowstone and the Serengeti.
In Education, he has been training African women in global health and in 2018 was awarded The Humanitarian of the Year from the Kish Bank in recognition of his efforts in Tanzania. Through Random Good he built an educational field camp in Kenya and they donated the business to the local Maasai that funds the local Maasai girls to go to school and to receive a free lunch. He takes Penn State students there to experience and study the ecology Maasai Mara.
In Science Administration, he directed The Huck institutes of the Life Sciences for 13 years, erected new buildings (MSC), facilities and appointed many faculty. He helped transform the science strategy at Penn State, which was recognized with an Honorary Alumni Award from Penn State in 2018. In Outreach, he is co- founder of the Random Good Foundation and is currently involved in weaving film storylines that portray science with impact to show how ecology is shaped by individual decisions.
In Creativity, he has built and runs a small furniture workshop called Spring Valley Woods that uses trees that have been condemned to give them a new life in our homes.
In Photography, he is a keen wildlife photographer and been recognized and elected an Associate of The Royal Photographic Society. His wildlife photographs have won several competition awards including Natures Best Photography (2025) Capturing Ecology and Royal Society Photography. He produces a biomonthly free online photographic conservation magazine called PT Aware.
At heart, Peter is a naturalist, conservationist, and biological photographer. He has his fulfilled his childhood dream of studying fascinating animals across the globe and manages his own 100-acre nature reserve in central Pennsylvania,
In recognition, Peter was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (2008), an International Fellow of the Royal Society of Scotland (2010), a fellow of AAAS (2012), a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society (2024) and a Fellow of the British Ecological Society (2025). He received an honorary doctorate from The University of London (2014) and was awarded The Carlton Herman Award (2005) and the Laurent Perrier Award (1985).
Professor Hamish McCallum
(Griffith University, Australia)
Hamish McCallum is an Emeritus Professor at Griffith University. He has been fascinated by the ecology of infectious diseases since completing his PhD with Prof Roy Anderson at Imperial College in 1982. Before retiring at the end of 2024, he was Director of the Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security at Griffith University. Previously, he was Head of the School of Environment at Griffith from 2009-2015 and Senior Scientist of the Save the Tasmanian Devil program at the University of Tasmania from 2006-2009. His interest in disease ecology encompasses disease and conservation biology (especially Tasmanian devil facial tumour disease and amphibian chytrid fungus) and zoonoses (especially Hendra virus in flying foxes). In addition to over 200 research papers, he has published two books, most recently “Infectious Disease and Conservation Biology” Oxford University Press 2022, with Johannes Foufopoulos and Gary Wobeser. He was a member of a team awarded the Eureka prize for Environmental Research in 2011 for work on Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour and was awarded the Griffith Vice Chancellor’s award for research leadership in 2019.
Come visit Tasmania!
Situated at the gateway to Antarctica and surrounded by diverse coastal, agricultural, and wilderness landscapes, Tasmania offers an exceptional natural laboratory for studying emerging infectious diseases, climate change impacts, and biodiversity–health interactions. The island’s strong biosecurity systems, distinctive wildlife such as the Tasmanian devil, and rapidly changing ecosystems highlight many of the challenges and opportunities that define EEID and One Health in the 21st century. For conference participants, Hobart combines world-class science with access to stunning natural environments, vibrant food and cultural experiences, and a collaborative research community working at the forefront of environmental and infectious disease science.
We will provide accomodation options in the coming months.
Delegates
200 delegates from:
- Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Island nations
- Southeast and East Asia (including Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and China)
- Global partners from Europe and North America
Delegates will include:
Academic and government researchers
Public health and biosecurity professionals
One Health practitioners
Students and early-career scientists
Industry and policy stakeholders
Organising Committee
- Dr Nick Fountain-Jones, University of Tasmania (Chair)
- Dr Jane Younger, University of Tasmania (Co-chair)
- Dr Eloise Skinner, University of Queensland
- Associate Professor Kate Hutson, Cawthron Institute, NZ
- Prof. Lee Skeratt, University of Melbourne
- Dr Rodrigo Hamede, University of Tasmania
- Prof. Beata Ujvari, Deakin University
- Dr Alison Peel, University of Sydney
- Regional representatives from China and New Zealand
- Support from the EEID global network (Prof. Peter Hudson, Penn State, US)
- International advisory panel including Dr Chris Kozakiewicz (Michigan State, US), Dr Matt Silk (University of Edinburgh) and Dr Simona Kraberger (Arizona State, US)
Hosted by the University of Tasmania's School of Medicine in partnership the Insitute for Marine and Antarctic Studies with the Tasmanian & Antarctic One Health Network (TAOH), Australian Society for Parasitology and Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease (EEID) Consortium.
Venue & Dates
Venue
Medical Sciences Precinct University of Tasmania, Hobart
Dates
August 26-28 2025
Format
In-person with hybrid options for regional accessibility
Contact
For sponsorship or partnership opportunities:
Dr Nick Fountain-Jones
Lead Organiser, EEID Asia–Pacific 2026
University of Tasmania | Tasmanian & Antarctic One Health Network
📧 nick.fountain-jones@utas.edu.au
We're thrilled to invite you to EEID Asia–Pacific 2026! Join us in Hobart, August 2026, for the inaugural Asia–Pacific gathering advancing infectious disease research and One Health collaboration across the region.