Dr Mathilde Merridale Punter, BVetMed (Hons), MRCVS

Mathilde graduated as a veterinarian from the Royal Veterinary College in London, UK, in 2013. She then spent some time working for an equid charity in Fez, Morocco before moving to the UAE and working with Arabian horses for two years. After that Mathilde returned to the UK where she completed her internship and spent two years at the Liphook Equine Hospital. In 2018 she started working as a veterinary programme advisor for the international NGO SPANA, supporting veterinary projects with working animals in low and middle-income countries.

Mathilde moved to Australia in 2020 and spent time working as a race-track veterinarian in Melbourne before starting her PhD candidature at the University of Melbourne, where she is currently working on a project entitled “Epidemiology of welfare issues in working equids of low- and middle-income communities”. Mathilde continues to be involved with the working animal industry as a senior veterinary advisor which provides an invaluable insight into her field of research. Mathilde’s main veterinary interests are working equid welfare, orthopaedics and One Health. In her spare time, she enjoys travelling, hiking and snorkelling.