Red X iconGreen tick iconYellow tick icon

Contact Details

Phone
+64 3 470 4696
Email
jemma.geoghegan@otago.ac.nz
Position
Professor
Department
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Qualifications
BSc Hons, PhD
Research summary
Viral evolutionary biology

Research

I am an evolutionary biologist and virologist with a strong research focus on emerging infectious disease. My research focuses on determining the fundamental patterns and processes of viral evolution, ecology and emergence.

My research involves using metagenomics to reveal the diversity, structure and evolution of the virosphere; examining the evolution of major viral infections; and developing new analytical and computational approaches to analyse aspects of the virus evolution.

Publications

Hoggard, M., Gios, E., Tee, H. S., Geoghegan, J. L., & Handley, K. M. (2026). DNA viruses are constrained to ecological niches and share similar environmental adaptations with hosts. Nature Communications. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-73439-9 Journal - Research Article

Guhlin, J., Wierenga, J. R., Douglas, J., Swindells-Wallace, P., Langsbury, H., Webster, T., Young, M. J., … Alden, B., Ruru, T. T., … van Heezik, Y., Seddon, P. J., … Dearden, P. K., & Geoghegan, J. L. (2026). Population genomics of yellow-eyed penguins uncovers subspecies divergence and candidate genes linked to respiratory distress syndrome. Nature Ecology & Evolution. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1038/s41559-026-03062-w Journal - Research Article

de Vries, I. F., Waller, S. J., French, R. K., Grimwood, R. M., & Geoghegan, J. L. (2026). Longitudinal sampling of New Zealand cockles (Austrovenus stutchburyi) reveals high viral diversity and taxa-specific responses to environmental factors. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 102(5), fiag033. doi: 10.1093/femsec/fiag033 Journal - Research Article

Taylor, H. S., Eames, M., Bestbier, M., Hunter, S., Weir, J. S., O'Connell, J., … Waller, S. J., Geoghegan, J. L., … Roe, W. D. (2026). A large mortality event in New Zealand fur seals (Arctocephalus forsteri) caused by a divergent canine distemper virus. Veterinary Microbiology, 316, 111000. doi: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2026.111000 Journal - Research Article

French, R. K., Pichlmueller, F., Waller, S. J., Dubrulle, J., Tuxford, J., Veale, A., & Geoghegan, J. L. (2026). Viral surveillance of invasive mammals in New Zealand reveals unique viral lineages reflecting their introduction history. Genetics & Molecular Biology, 100(1), e01440-25. doi: 10.1128/jvi.01440-25 Journal - Research Article

Back to top