Rate My Professor Natalie Netzler

Natalie Netzler is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at the University of Auckland, where she also serves as Director of the PC3/BSL3 Facility. A research virologist of Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāti Hauā, and Sāmoan (Moto’ōtua, Falealili) descent, she completed her undergraduate and master’s degrees in science at the University of Waikato, with her master’s research focused on plant viruses. She earned her PhD from the University of New South Wales, where her doctoral work examined broad-spectrum antivirals. Following her doctorate, Netzler returned to Auckland and secured an HRC Pacific postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Auckland, later establishing her independent research team.

Her research centres on the antiviral properties of traditional Sāmoan and Māori medicines, investigating their activity against viruses including SARS-CoV-2 (Omicron), RSV, herpes simplex, measles, dengue, and Zika. In 2025 she received a $1.2 million Mana Tūānuku Research Leadership Fellowship from the Royal Society Te Apārangi to advance Indigenous-led discovery of antiviral therapies in partnership with the Scientific Research Organisation of Sāmoa and rongoā practitioners. Netzler also received the 2023 Cranwell Medal for excellence in science communication, recognising her work engaging Māori and Pacific communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. She teaches courses in virology, microbiology, and immunology and contributes to university committees while mentoring Māori and Pacific students.

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