I have worked with arthropod disease vectors for 20 years. My research focuses on acquiring a better understanding of how disease vectors interact with beneficial symbionts and parasitic pathogens. Specifically, I am interested in 1) how beneficial microbes prime the development of their host’s immune system, 2) host and pathogen physiological mechanisms that mechanisms that underlie disease transmission, and 3) from an applied perspective, how symbiotic microbes can be harnessed to reduce their host’s ability to transmit pathogens.
