I study the ecology and evolution of host-symbiont systems and am interested in the the immunological mechanisms underlying observed patterns of association. My research integrates natural history collections with metagenomic, metabolomic, and histological methods to investigate the evolutionary processes shaping these associations in animal systems. I also apply these methods to clinical and experimental investigations of humans and disease phenotypes. Continuing interests and collaborations involve comparative phylogenetics and biogeography of malarial parasites and related haemosporidia. I am actively involved in biotic inventories of tropical ecosystems with a focus on small mammals in the Afrotropics.
I received my Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology ('16) from Cornell University, where I was affiliated with the Department of Ecology and Evolution, the Lab of Ornithology, and the Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Former appointments include the University of Chicago (NSF Postdoctoral Fellow), the University of California San Diego School of Medicine (Assistant Project Scientist), and Scripps Research (Postdoctoral Associate).