Dr Turgut-Esad Aktepe is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, University of Melbourne. He is a molecular virologist with extensive expertise in virus–host interactions, viral replication, and immune evasion mechanisms across human and animal viruses. His current research examines how imperfect vaccination strategies drive herpesvirus evolution through recombination in poultry. Dr Aktepe has published in leading journals including PLoS Pathogens, Cell Reports, mBio, and Virology, and is an active reviewer for international virology and immunology journals. He is also an experienced educator, supervisor, and scientific communicator, with a strong commitment to translational and collaborative research.