Area(s) of Expertise
My area of expertise is on vector-borne diseases transmitted by mosquitoes and ticks. Especially those that are detrimental to the health of humans and animals. During my undergraduate and master’s degree, I worked on the avian malaria system looking at how infection with avian malaria parasites (Haemoproteus spp. and Plasmodium relictum) influenced the survivorship flight activity of the southern house mosquito (Culex quinquefasciatus). I will continue to work on vector-borne systems in my future, with great emphasis on a changing global landscape and climate, and how I might use my expertise to alleviate disease transmission burden around the world.
I am studying the shifting population dynamics of two medically relevant tick species: Amblyomma americanum (Lone star tick) and Dermacentor variabilis (American dog tick). Particularly, I am interested in how changes in land use and global climate influence disease transmission by these ticks, and how we might prevent it.
Publications
Education
Bachelor of Science, Entomology, Texas A&M University (2018)
Master of Science, Entomology, Texas A&M University (2020)