Dave CivitelloAssociate Professor
The Civitello Lab
Lab Location: Rollins 1071DLab Phone: 404-727-4946
Education
- B.A., Colby College, 2006
- Ph.D., Indiana University, 2013
Research Area
- Population Biology, Evolution, and Ecology
- Computational Biology
Graduate Program Affiliation
- Population Biology, Ecology and Evolution
Research Description
Why do epidemics grow large in some places but not others? Our research strives to explain and predict the enormous variation in disease outbreaks we see in the natural world. We examine how environmental and physiological factors drive two key processes that influence disease outbreaks, parasite transmission to new hosts and parasite reproduction within hosts. These traits are highly dynamic, and depend on characteristics of abiotic environment, community ecological context, and traits of the hosts themselves.
Our current research aims to build new theory for disease outbreaks that can explain parasite transmission and reproduction in heterogeneous populations and dynamic environments. To achieve this, we combine field surveys, experiments, and mathematical modeling to improve predictions and control of disease outbreaks with a general focus on aquatic systems that are also relevant for conservation and human health.
Research Lab Description
Why do epidemics grow large in some places but not others? Our current research aims to build new theory for disease outbreaks that can explain parasite transmission and reproduction in heterogeneous populations and dynamic environments. We combine field surveys, experiments, and mathematical modeling to improve predictions and control of disease outbreaks that are relevant for biodiversity conservation and human health.
