Lee Berger

Lee Berger (born 16 January 1970), is an Australian biologist and veterinarian, who discovered during her Ph.D that the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis was responsible for the decline and extinction of hundreds of amphibian species.

Berger was born in Epsom, England in 1970, but moved to Melbourne, Australia with her family just a year later. She studied Veterinary Science at the University of Melbourne and received her bachelor's in 1993. She started her Ph.D at James Cook University in 1995 under the supervision of Rick Speare. In her PhD she aimed to find the cause of the decline of amphibians in Queensland between the 1970s and 1990s. During her PhD she identified the cause as being a chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, which causes a disease called chytridiomycosis. She later continued her research part time and was funded by grants of the Australian Research Council. She also served as the Associate Dean of Research within the College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences at James Cook University. She is currently an adjunct professor at James Cook University and the University of Melbourne. In 2018 she received the Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year for her discovery of the fungus.

Between the late 1970s and the 1990s a mysterious decline in frog species was observed in Australia. Rick Speare theorised that this was caused by an infectious disease and hired Berger to study this. At the time it was thought that infectious diseases could not cause an extinction, as had happened to six frog species. However, by applying methods from the medical field, in 1998 Berger was able to identify a fungus, called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, in the skin of the frog. This fungus disrupts the skin, making the frogs unable to absorb electrolytes and water. This ultimately causes them to die. Her work on this infectious disease has helped to change practices in conservation around the world.

• 2000 - CSIRO Medal for Research Achievement
• 2007 - Ian Clunies Ross Memorial Award
• 2018 - Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year