Research

I am interested in understanding the occurrence and consequences of interactions between species in natural communities – with a particular focus on infectious diseases. My work focuses on the use of simple mathematical theory, coupled with experimental perturbations of natural systems, to reveal the extent to which species interact, and whether those interactions are important for the dynamics of each species, or the stability of the community as a whole.

In terms of infectious diseases, I am particularly interested in whether co-circulating and co-infecting parasite species interact inside hosts, and whether those interactions affect the host’s susceptibility to infection or disease by other parasites. I am also interested in how multiple host species combine to determine the transmission and persistence of parasites at the host community level.

I can supervise PhD projects relating to the ecological factors affecting the transmission, spread and impact of infectious diseases in natural populations. I am also interested in evolutionary aspects of host-parasite interactions. Projects will typically involve the development of relevant theory, the application of mathematical models, and/or the analysis of ecological data, and may involve close collaboration with empiricists working on amenable natural systems.

Infectious disease ecology and evolution

Research interests focus on the use of simple population dynamic theory as a tool for understanding ecological systems and, in particular, the epidemiology and evolution of host-parasite interactions in complex natural communities, potentially comprising multiple parasite species and/or multiple host species.