Biography
I am interested in the application of mathematical and computational models to biological systems. In my research, I work on a broad variety of systems, both in my own lab and in collaboration with others at many different institutions. My research usually falls into one or all of three categories: Epidemiology, Evolutionary & Behavioral Ecology, and Conservation Biology. I am interested in the effects of animal behavior, ecology and infectious disease epidemiology on one another. I model disease in both human and animal populations and am interested in how disease and disease-related behavioral ecology can affect the short-term survival and long-term evolutionary success of a population. Some of my current projects focus on the modeling of endangered populations of tortoises to determine effective courses of management, social insect populations and their susceptibility to pathogens based on their behavior and nesting ecology, the effects of stress on populations in fluctuating environments, and how best to maintain human societal infrastructure in the face of pandemic disease.