Prof Ala Tabor joined QAAFI's Centre for Animal Science in October 2010, after 18 years of conducting research with the Queensland Government. She is a research focussed academic with a strong background in industry engagement associated with animal health and agricultural biotechnologies. Her research interests are associated with the application of genomic sequence data to improve animal disease management through: 1) the development of molecular diagnostic and genotyping methods to better identify pathogens; and 2) the study of gene function in relation to virulence and host pathogenicity of infectious diseases to develop new effective vaccines. Areas studied to date include bovine venereal diseases (bovine trichomonosis and bovine genital campylobacteriosis), Australian paralysis tick (Ixodes holocyclus), cattle tick (Rhipicephalus microplus species complex), and tick-borne diseases (babesiosis and anaplasmosis). Some key outputs of her work include the application of reverse vaccinology for the development of a novel cattle tick vaccine and paralysis tick vaccine (patented), developed Australian bovine venereal disease vaccine, and commercialized diagnostic tools for bovine venereal diseases. Prof Tabor has attained and completed ~$12 million in competitive grants in the last 10 years including the ARC, pharma and industry. Current research includes commercialisation of cattle tick, paralysis tick and bovine venereal disease vaccines, genomic approaches for improved venereal disease diagnostics, improving tick resistance management, and cattle tick genomics and metagenomics. Her international recognition in her field is exemplified by invitations to edit and prepare guidelines for the World Organisation for Animal Health and FAO’s Community of Practise on Acaricide Resistance Management of Livestock Ticks; specialist tick editor for the International Journal for Parasitology; Chair for the 9th International Tick and Tick-borne Pathogen (TTP9) conference (with the 1st Asia-Pacific Rickettsia Conference) held for the first time in Australia in 2017; Advisory Board Member for the Tick Global Network; current President for the Society of Tropical Veterinary Medicine;  and also international invitations to deliver expert presentations.