DrRenata de Lara Muylaert

Dr Renata Muylaert joined the University of Sydney's Disease Ecology Lab in 2025 as a Research Associate, where she works alongside Prof. Michael Ward and a multidisciplinary team. Her research explores the ecological drivers of zoonotic disease risk-particularly at the human-domestic-wildlife interface-and how biodiversity conservation can support outbreak prevention. She also co-leads the Ecosystem and Human Health Thematic Group within the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management (2022-2025), advancing cross-sectoral research and educational initiatives that connect biodiversity and public health through ecosystem-based approaches.

Her current work includes spatial mapping of zoonotic risks in fragmented landscapes, biodiversity responses to climate change, and the socio-ecological dimensions of One Health. A long-time advocate for open science, Renata has contributed to openly licensed datasets and reproducible code on statistical modelling, disease ecology, and spatial analysis, shared across platforms such as GitHub and Zenodo. She is committed to co-developing international training programs that equip emerging researchers to apply spatial tools in One Health contexts. Her interdisciplinary work spans computational programming, science communication, and capacity building-driven by a vision for a more inclusive and collaborative scientific ecosystem.

Renata's scientific journey began with research on fruit bat ecology under Prof. Marco Mello (University of São Paulo), followed by a Master's in Zoology from São Paulo State University (UNESP), which included a research placement at Texas Tech and Louisiana State University under Prof. Richard Stevens. Her MSc integrated field ecology and landscape analysis to investigate fragmentation thresholds for bat communities.

Fieldwork with virologists in Brazil inspired her PhD on the ecological and epidemiological dynamics of hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome, a rodent-borne disease. She completed her doctorate in Ecology and Biodiversity at UNESP (LEEC), with a research stay at Massey University under Prof. David Hayman, deepening her expertise in disease ecology and modelling. Her postdoctoral research focused on predictive mapping of bat hosts of coronaviruses, linking host ecology with public health preparedness.

Renata has led and contributed to interdisciplinary projects across Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Oceania, integrating spatial modelling, network science, and knowledge synthesis to support zoonotic disease prevention and One Health planning. She has worked on research addressing leptospirosis outbreaks in flood-prone areas and contributes to global efforts to improve disease surveillance in biodiversity hotspots.

A dedicated advocate for STEM communication, Renata has written for science blogs since 2012 and is a contributor to Surviving in Science, a Brazilian platform for academic reflections and career guidance. She continues to collaborate with her mentor Prof. Marco Mello on public engagement and science education.

Outside the lab, Renata is also a published writer. Her debut poetry collection, Versos Livres de Verão (2024), honours the memory of her late uncle, Sérgio Muylaert, and supports cardiovascular disease prevention in Brazil. Through her work at the intersection of science, storytelling, and social impact, she seeks to expand the boundaries of scientific research and creative expression.