Members
Principal Investigator
Project Scientists
Postdoctoral Researchers
Ecology / Population dynamics / Disease dynamics / Biological pest control / Metabolic theory
Graduate Students
I am currently interested in herpetology with a focus on the phylogeography and impact of fire on the effective population sizes of a lizard with a sky island distribution in Southern California, the effect of wetland habitat restoration on a population of a threatened frog species in a California coastal dune complex, and the disease ecology of a California newt species and a yet to be identified pathogen that causes abnormal skin lesions.
Tatum Katz is a 5th year PhD candidate. She studies vectors and reservoirs of the amphibian-killing pathogen Bd, specifically by using field data to parameterize and ground-truth a variety of statistical and mathematical models which investigate how these alternative sources affect amphibian population dynamics. She also recently earned her M.A. in statistics here at UCSB, and is excited by all types of statistical analyses, especially machine learning
I am broadly interested in disease transmission dynamics, specifically how host community composition alters the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens. Previous research of mine has investigated the host-vector-pathogen interface by examining the effect of larval host blood meal identity on tick nymphal vector competency to Borrelia burgdorferi.
I am interested in how the genetics of host-pathogen interactions drive disease dynamics in wildlife populations, and how this can be used to inform species conservation and disease management plans. I am currently studying the genetic determinants of host susceptibility and pathogen virulence in the amphibian-chytridiomycosis system across various frog populations in California.
@imanidrussell
Interested in using empirical & theoretical frameworks to understand the ecology and evolution of vector-borne diseases in a changing climate.
Undergraduates
Name![]() |
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Alyssa Byer |
Bethany Stainfield |
Chloe Swain |
Elise Cypher |
Elizabeth Bodenhamer |
Hope Hahn |
Iona McCabe |
Josephine Graeber |
Karen Sidhu |
Kathryn Koo |
Kenda Scruggs |
Leanne Hagen |
Max Roberts |
Melinda Zemberi |
Meryem Guler |
Natalie Ventura |
Navdeep Sandhu |
Nuzha Baksh |
Rachel Leowy |
Rebecca Abel |
Sammi Yeung |
Sarah Boyle |
Spencer Chau |
Yanelyn Perez |
Alumni
Name![]() |
Current Affiliation | Years in Lab |
---|---|---|
Andrea Swei | San Francisco State University | 2009-2011 |
Brian Drawert | Assistant Professor at University of North Carolina Asheville | 2017 |
Elizabeth Borer | Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota | 2002-2003 |
Graziella DiRenzo | MA Cooperative Research Unit | 2017-2019 |
Joe Mihaljevic | Assistant Professor, Northern Arizona University | 2017-2018 |
Leah Johnson | Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech | 2009-2011 |
Martha Hoopes | Professor at Mount Holyoke College | 1999-2004 |
Perry de Valpine | Associate Professor at UC Berkeley | 2002-2004 |
Vance Vredenburg | Associate Professor at San Francisco State University | 2003-2007 |
Name![]() |
Current Affiliation | Years in Lab |
---|---|---|
Andrea Adams | UC Santa Barbara | 2010-2017 |
Andrea Jani | University of Hawaii | 2010-2014 |
Andrew MacDonald | Stanford | 2012-2016 |
Emily Wilson | UC Santa Barbara | 2012-2017 |
Lara Rachowicz | Independent Research Professional | 2005 |
Mark Wilber | Colorado State University | 2012-2017 |
Mary Stice-Kishiyama | Doctor of Veterinary Medicine | 2009 |
Mary Toothman | ||
Matthew Daugherty | UC Riverside | 2006 |
Tate Tunstall | University of Maryland | 2012 |
Thomas Smith | UC Santa Barbara | 2011-2015 |