I am a post-doctoral research fellow, funded by the Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale. I’m interested in understanding how microbes live within hosts and spread between them. Tackling such complex questions demands diverse approaches: mathematical models allow conception and logical deduction of hypotheses, experiments test those hypotheses, and comparative and meta-analyses allow quantitative assessment of general patterns. I combine all of these approaches to better understand the ecology and evolution of micro-organisms and their hosts. I have worked on a variety of systems and topics including parasite biodiversity, evolution of virulence and host immune defence, malaria within-host ecology, epidemiology of leishmaniasis, dengue virus and SARS-CoV-2.
My current research focuses on ecosystems within hosts where microorganisms vastly exceed the genetic and functional diversity of their host. In particular, I study the community ecology of human vaginal microbiota. Dysbiosis, or imbalance, in the vaginal microbial community is experienced by roughly 25% of women and linked with adverse health consequences, including an increased risk of sexually transmitted infections and spontaneous pre-term birth. Yet, we lack a fundamental ecological understanding of the vaginal environment. Using statistical and computational approaches, my research will shed on light within-host ecological processes and environmental factors that drive alternative community state types.
