Peggy Rismiller was born in rural Ohio and received both her Masters and PhD in Biology in Germany. She is an environmental physiologist and educator who studies the interactions of living organisms and environmental cues. Her special interests are body temperature regulation and reproduction. In 1988 she immigrated to Australia, made Kangaroo Island her home and began life history studies on echidnas, tiger snakes and goannas.

Peggy supervises undergraduate, graduate students and many volunteers. She works closely with the media, tourism, conservation groups, zoological gardens and the greater community. She is affiliated with the University of Adelaide, senior researcher at the Pelican Lagoon Research & Wildlife Cente, and a visiting lecturer at the Hannover School of Veterinary Science, Germany. In 1997 she was elected a member of the international Society of Women Geographer. In 2003 she received an award for climate change research and in 2006 was awarded the Order of Australia for services to science.

Her other interests include herbal medicine and smithing creations from precious metals and natural gemstones.