David McLeod

My research focuses on developing mathematical models to study the feedback between evolutionary and ecological (or epidemiological) processes. For example, how do ecological interactions structure genomic variation in genetically diverse populations? How do pathogens such as viruses and bacteria evolve resistance to antibiotics and vaccines? And how does the horizontal exchange of genetic material in microbial populations facilitate or impede the ability of microbes to adapt to new threats? My research seeks to answer these questions using tools from game theory and stochastic and deterministic dynamical systems.