Susan Kueh

Dr Susan Gibson-Kueh did her BVSc at Sydney University, MSc at Institute of Aquaculture, Stirling University, UK and PhD on ‘Diseases of Asian seabass or barramundi, Lates calcarifer Bloch’ at Murdoch University, Western Australia.

She has developed a broad perspective of the aquaculture industry from three decades of working in governments and academia, which guides and informs her research. One of her earlier roles was as Head of the Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory, AgriFood and Veterinary Authority of Singapore for over a decade. Her expertise spans national disease surveillance programs, biosecurity, fish health management, diagnostic pathology, microbiology, and the study of novel and complex diseases in tropical aquaculture.

Dr Gibson-Kueh was the first researcher to suggest the viral causative agent of scale-drop disease (SDD) in barramundi during her PhD in 2012. Her current research continues to build on our understanding of SDD, along with other diseases like big belly disease and Lates calcarifer herpesvirus, so that sustainable approaches can be developed for barramundi aquaculture.

Dr Gibson-Kueh believes that the key to successful management of diseases lies in advancing current knowledge in applied fish physiology, immunology and gene expression to establish biomarkers as early indicators of disease. She is a champion for advancing the use of haematology and blood biochemistry to support health management of tropical aquaculture species.

She is passionate about promoting livelihoods to empower remote communities through quality education and research, in line with UN sustainable development goals to alleviate poverty.

Areas of expertise

• Diagnostic pathology, parasitology, bacteriology, virology, molecular biology and epidemiology
• Extensive knowledge of warm water aquaculture species, particularly diseases of Asian seabass or barramundi

She was the first to describe a coccidian parasite of L. calcarifer which was subsequently named after her, Goussia kuehae. Description of Goussia kuehae n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae)

She taught over 900 veterinary students at Murdoch University, over 200 aquaculture students at James Cook University Singapore, supervised 1 PhD and 5 Honours students successfully to completion, and is currently supervising 3 PhD students working on diseases of L. calcarifer.

She is a member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in the Medicine and Management of Aquaculture species (by examination).

• CNA Visionary Education Campaign
• JCU Pop Science Series – Do Fish Get Thirsty?