Nicole Mideo

Nicole Mideo is an Associate Professor and the Undergraduate Associate Chair for the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Professor Mideo studies the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases through a combination of theoretical and empirical approaches. She is interested in understanding the factors that regulate patterns of infection within and between hosts, and how these factors interact to shape disease evolution. Her research answers questions like: how and why do interactions between parasites and hosts differ across closely related parasite species and genotypes? Are these differences due to host traits, parasite traits, or their interactions? Which factors have shaped parasite traits that determine disease severity and infectiousness? Which factors will accelerate or constrain the evolution of these parasite traits when selective forces change, e.g., due to interventions or environmental change and associated shifts in host, vector, or disease distributions?