My research integrates field ecology, animal behavior, statistics, mathematical modeling, remote sensing, microbiology, virology and genetics to address wildlife disease, conservation and management issues. No single person can develop the necessary expertise in all of these fields, so I collaborate with a team of academics and managers. There are two central themes in my research: (1) the integration of empirical data and mathematical modeling, and (2) the effects of host behavior and social structure on disease dynamics.
I received my B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Arizona, and my M.S. and Ph.D. from Colorado State University in Microbial Ecology and Biology with an emphasis in Infectious Disease Ecology respectively. Currently I am an Assistant Professor of Health Sciences at Carroll College, Helena, MT. Prior to teaching at Carroll, l worked for six years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a molecular epidemiologist studying the plague in Colorado and Kazakhstan.