Physical & Biological Sciences Division
Professor
Faculty
Environmental Studies Department
CSC Coastal Biology Building
252
153 Coastal Biology Building
130 McAllister Way
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
By appointment
CBB/EE Biology
B.A. Philosophy, University of California, Los Angeles 1995
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles 1995
M.S. Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1997
Ph.D. Zoology, University of Wisconsin, Madison 2003
Senior Research Scientist, Ecohealth Alliance (Consortium for Conservation Medicine) 2003-2008
Assistant Professor, UCSC 2008-2013
Associate Professor, UCSC 2014-2018
Professor, UCSC 2019-present
Disease Ecology
Population Biology
Conservation
Ecology of Infectious Diseases & Population Biology
My research unites theory and empirical work to address basic and applied questions on the ecology of infectious diseases as well as population biology, evolution, climate, behavior, genetics, and conservation, and I would be excited to develop collaborations and advise graduate students in any of these areas. A key aim is to understand the underlying drivers of pathogen transmission and the impacts on host populations. My general research philosophy is to begin each project by developing a model of the system to generate hypotheses and then test these hypotheses by gathering empirical data. My current research can be divided into three general areas:
* Local determinants of pathogen transmission,
* The impact of disease on animal populations, and
* The spread of pathogens to new regions.
Much of my current work in disease ecology is focused on West Nile virus, a mosquito-transmitted pathogen that currently causes thousands of human cases each year, as well as affecting millions of animals. However, I also work on several other pathogen systems including chytridiomycosis, Lyme disease, Brucellosis, and avian influenza.