Biodesign Directory Profile

Bio

I received my PhD in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UC Irvine and moved to the CDC, as a postdoctoral fellow, in late 1995. After that first appointment, I maintained joint appointments at the CDC as guest researcher and at the Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research as a researcher for almost 8 years, as well as an adjunct faculty position in Emory University. In 2005, I started as Associate Professor at the School of Life Sciences (SOLS), Arizona State University.

I study how host switches may lead to molecular adaptations in parasites/pathogens and how the demographic history of a parasite/pathogen affects adaptive genetic variation. I am particularly interested in  My current projects are: i) the origin and spread of drug resistance in P. falciparum, ii) evolutionary history of P. vivax and related non-human malarial parasites, and iii) the dynamic of pathogens in the Human-Synanthropic primates' interface.

My long-term goal is to establish bridges among the epidemiological, ecological, and evolutionary biology perspectives to address infectious diseases. Differences among these perspectives cannot be reduced to merely semantic discrepancies. I believe that by fully embracing these diverse approaches we can provide answers to a range of problems, including issues like the emergence of drug resistance and the role that ecology has in the origin of infectious agents.