William Buttemer is Professor and Chair in Physiological Ecology at Deakin University. He has a broad background in comparative physiology that is mainly focused on physiological appraisal of animal life history. This research uses an integrative approach that combines many fields: physics to quantify the physical environments of animals, physiological assessment (endocrinology, biochemistry, immunology, and metabolic rate assessment), and ecology to place these interactions into an evolutionary context. Current studies include examination of the oxidative stress theory of aging, hormonal bases of adaptive offspring sex ratios in birds, and life-history influences on glucocorticoid secretion in moulting birds.