My lab studies the ecology and evolution of pathogens, and how pathogens drive the evolution and population dynamics of their hosts. Two major questions that we ask are, how does host variation affect pathogen epidemics and pathogen evolution? And, how does pathogen variation modulate the effects of pathogens on host population dynamics? We attempt to answer these questions by first constructing mathematical models of host-pathogen dynamics, and then by testing the models using a combination of experiments and observations of epidemics in nature. We use insect pathogens as test systems, but the general usefulness of the advanced computing techniques that we use has led to studies of human papillomavirus and salmon conservation. Insect pathogens play a key role in preventing the destruction of forests, and this role has driven new projects on the ecology and economics of biological control, and on the effects of climate change on insect outbreaks.
University of Washington
Seattle, WA
Ph.D. - Zoology
1990
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY
B.A. with Honors - Biology
1983
Seasonality and the Coexistence of Pathogen Strains.
Seasonality and the Coexistence of Pathogen Strains. Am Nat. 2023 05; 201(5):639-658.
PMID: 37130239
Can Eco-Evo Theory Explain Population Cycles in the Field?
Can Eco-Evo Theory Explain Population Cycles in the Field? Am Nat. 2022 01; 199(1):108-125.
PMID: 34978965
Use of a mechanistic growth model in evaluating post-restoration habitat quality for juvenile salmonids.
Use of a mechanistic growth model in evaluating post-restoration habitat quality for juvenile salmonids. PLoS One. 2020; 15(6):e0234072.
PMID: 32579548
An Empirical Test of the Role of Small-Scale Transmission in Large-Scale Disease Dynamics.
An Empirical Test of the Role of Small-Scale Transmission in Large-Scale Disease Dynamics. Am Nat. 2020 04; 195(4):616-635.
PMID: 32216670
Stochasticity and Infectious Disease Dynamics: Density and Weather Effects on a Fungal Insect Pathogen.
Stochasticity and Infectious Disease Dynamics: Density and Weather Effects on a Fungal Insect Pathogen. Am Nat. 2020 03; 195(3):504-523.
PMID: 32097039
Combined Effects of Natural Enemies and Competition for Resources on a Forest Defoliator: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis.
Combined Effects of Natural Enemies and Competition for Resources on a Forest Defoliator: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis. Am Nat. 2019 12; 194(6):807-822.
PMID: 31738098
Untangling the dynamics of persistence and colonization in microbial communities.
Untangling the dynamics of persistence and colonization in microbial communities. ISME J. 2019 12; 13(12):2998-3010.
PMID: 31444482
Effects of multiple sources of genetic drift on pathogen variation within hosts.
Effects of multiple sources of genetic drift on pathogen variation within hosts. PLoS Biol. 2018 03; 16(3):e2004444.
PMID: 29590105
Recurring infection with ecologically distinct HPV types can explain high prevalence and diversity.
Recurring infection with ecologically distinct HPV types can explain high prevalence and diversity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 12 19; 114(51):13573-13578.
PMID: 29208707
Eco-Evolutionary Theory and Insect Outbreaks.
Eco-Evolutionary Theory and Insect Outbreaks. Am Nat. 2017 Jun; 189(6):616-629.
PMID: 28514636
Quantrell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching
University of Chicago
2014
George Mercer Award for an Outstanding Paper by an Author of Age Less Than 40
Ecological Society of America
1998