Kelly Condon

Kelly Condon (Phd, BSc hons) specialises in the discipline of Aquatic Animal Health and has over 25 years experience focussed on viral and bacterial diseases of tropical aquaculture species. Dr Condon has a keen interest in approaches to prevent and treat disease outbreaks in aquaculture species and conducts research ranging from detection, quantification & tracking of pathogens in aquaculture systems to therapies to prevent disease outbreaks such as vaccine development and the assessment of novel bioactives.

Kelly is a strong advocate for the development of tropical aquaculture in Northern Australia and conducts teaching and research activities to help support the aquaculture sector to deliver benefit to tropical regions/communities and economies.

Current research activities with the Aquaculture Sector:

• Kelly is Deputy Director of theARC Research Hub Supercharging Tropical Aquaculture through Genetics. Kelly’s specific work package in this project is focussed on Aquatic animal health and preventing the impact of pathogens on production. The project will involve 5 years of research commencing 2021.

• Kelly is also the CI on the project collaboration between the CRCNA, FRDC, APFA and JCUaimed at determining the impact of prawn viruses on production. The project will involve 3 years of research commencing 2021.

• Kelly’s twenty years’ experience in the detection of pathogens of aquatic species, underpin her position as the Director of the JCU AquaPATH laboratory. JCU AquaPATH is a NATA accredited facility that specialises in the molecular detection of pathogens of aquaculture species particularly prawns, barramundi, and grouper. The laboratory provides rapid turnaround high throughput detection of a broad range of prawn viruses, bacterial toxin genes and support for fish disease diagnostics. The laboratory is actively involved in the preparation of biosecurity plans and troubleshooting health issues for the aquaculture industry.

• In 2020 Kelly lead the research team that completed the most comprehensive multi-pathogen, multi-production stage analysis to detect prawn pathogens in the history of Australian prawn farming. You can read the report here: Final Report: Improving Biosecurity in Australian Prawn farming

• Kelly completed her PhD studies in "The management of Betanodavirus infections in tropical grouper". Kelly has a particular interest in Nervous Necrosis Virus in Australia and is currently assessing an experimental vaccine to prevent severe disease outbreaks caused by NNV.

Teaching Activities

• With an Aquatic Animal Health speciality Kelly teaches and co-ordinates the JCU subjects of Introduction to Aquaculture and Sustainable Aquaculture.
• Kelly is also the undergraduate BSc (Aquaculture) Major co-ordinator.

Kelly is interested in collaborative research to address aquaculture biosecurity and keen to support undergraduate and post-graduate research students to develop skills in aquatic animal health.