Amy B Pedersen

Biography

Background

1995 - 1999    BS, The George Washington University, USA

2000 - 2005    PhD, University of Virginia, USA

2005 - 2006    Postdoctoral Research Associate, Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia (with Dr. Sonia Altizer)

2006 - 2009    Royal Society International Incoming Research Fellowship, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield

2009 - Present    Advanced Research Fellow, Wellcome Trust Centre for Infection, Immunity and Evolution, University of Edinburgh

Undergraduate teaching

Population and Community Ecology, Evolutionary ecology of host-parasite interactions

Research summary

http://www.biology.ed.ac.uk/research/groups/apedersen/

Current research interests

Much of the research in disease ecology and evolution has traditionally focused on a one host one parasite framework. And yet, in natural systems, hosts are usually co-infected by multiple parasites, and many parasites can infect several host species. My research aims to understand how these real-world complexities drive the ecology and evolution of parasites and their hosts. My current and future work focuses on two major themes: 1. The interactions between co-infecting parasites and implications for host health and disease transmission. Stability and resilience of parasite communities in a wild mouse population Understanding the role of co-infection in the success of treatment strategies and global health policies 2. How parasites able to persist on multiple hosts (i.e. multi-host parasites) contribute to host shifts and disease emergence. Experimental disease emergence: bacoluviruses as a model system Historical and future disease emergence in humans and wild primates To address these inter-related themes, I use a variety of host-pathogen systems and approaches including field-based manipulations, laboratory experiments, theory and comparative analyses.

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