Research interests
I am motivated by research that not only uncovers the evolutionary dynamics of pathogens but also informs practical strategies to protect animal and human health. I have pursued a broad range of questions in infectious disease ecology and evolution throughout my research career, from an undergraduate thesis on the ecology of Lyme disease, to my PhD dissertation on SARS-CoV-2 evolution and cross-species transmission, to the ecology of chronic wasting disease in cervids. As a postdoc on the Tracking Tails project my work focuses on the viromics of free-roaming dogs in Africa and Asia.
Curriculum vitae
2026 – present: Postdoctoral researcher on the viromics of free-roaming dogs in Africa and Asia under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Gerald Heckel, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern
2025-2026: Postdoctoral researcher on the genomics of chronic wasting disease in North American cervids under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer Malmberg, National Wildlife Research Center, and Dr. Kezia Manlove, Utah State University
2020-2024: PhD in Microbiology: “SARS-CoV-2 evolution and within-host variation in nonhuman animals,” under the supervision of Dr. Sue VandeWoude, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University
2013-2017: BA Biology, Middlebury College
