Peter Timms

Professor Peter Timms is a microbiologist at the University of the Sunshine Coast, specializing in Chlamydia research and koala health. He holds a PhD, MSc, and BSc (Hons) from Queensland universities and is a Fellow of the Australian Society for Microbiology (FASM). As Deputy Director of the Centre for Bioinnovation and Professor of Microbiology, his work focuses on vaccines, diagnostics, and genomics related to Chlamydia in humans and wildlife, particularly koalas.

Education: PhD Qld., MSc Qld., BSc (Hons) Qld., FASM. Research: His team develops vaccines for Chlamydia and koala retrovirus (KoRV), studies chlamydial genomics, and investigates koala health. Over 240 peer-reviewed publications and a h-index of 45 highlight his impact. He has graduated 20 PhD students in 15 years, many securing high-profile roles globally.

Grants: Secured over $5M in NHMRC grants, ARC Discovery/Linkage grants, and Queensland Government funding. Notable projects include koala chlamydial vaccines and epidemiological studies on Thoroughbred mares. Commercialization: Holds 10 patents, including Chlamydia SNP technology licensed to Affymetrix and vaccine-related patents.

Awards: FASM fellowship, leadership roles in International Chlamydia Society, and editorship of Pathogens & Disease. Professional contributions: Grant review panels, conference chair roles, and national microbiology committee memberships.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Centre for Bioinnovation and collaborates globally on wildlife disease control. Current projects address koala retrovirus vaccines, chlamydial transmission in koalas, and One Health approaches to infectious diseases.