DAVID DALL - Company director
Salary range
AUD$100,000
What I studied
Bachelor of Science (Hons) 1978
Doctorate of Philosophy 1985
Master of Environmental Law 2000
Career path
Researcher – University of Adelaide, Adelaide
Researcher – Hoffman-LaRoche, NJ USA
Researcher – CSIRO Entomology, Canberra
Managing Director – Pestat Ltd, Canberra
My Life – Bench research to corporate delivery
“I worked with microbes associated with insects for more than 15 years. These microbes are a marvelous and mostly invisible assemblage of viruses, protistans (‘protozoa’), bacteria and fungi. Some of them cause diseases in plants when they’re transmitted by sap-sucking insects, and others can be used to control pest insects such as caterpillars and beetles.
“While working with the latter type, I realised that doing the science was only part of the story as far as having it be useful in the field – and that being able to manage the regulatory aspects was just as important as doing the research. So I studied environmental law to understand this aspect better – and while doing so, found another field that was just as fascinating to me.
“When the chance came to work on regulatory issues associated with release of viruses to help control mice, rabbits and foxes, I moved to Pestat Ltd – a biotech company started by the Pest Animal Control Cooperative Research Centre. Being familiar with both the scientific and legal aspects lets me act as a ‘middle-man’ to help bridge the gap between the lab bench and the field.
“While this viral delivery work still makes up part of my job, I’m now also involved in development and delivery of other products to help control invasive animal pests in the Australian ecosystem. These include new chemical agents and new methods for delivering them. No two days are ever the same, and they all go by much too quickly – that’s about as good as life can get!”
My advice for students
“Choose to work on something that really interests you – regardless of what it is, or how much you think it might pay. From there it’s easy to keep following paths that are productive and exciting, because science is connected to everything else at a deeper level.”