UBC Science, November 16, 2023 - Two Canada Excellence Research Chairs to join UBC Science and video (see below)
Kayla King
The University of British Columbia | NSERC
Canada Excellence Research Chair in Evolutionary Dynamics of Host-Pathogen Interactions
Climate change is causing extreme heating, and altering the distribution of pathogens, while associated human activity and biodiversity loss are increasing human-animal contact. These factors will contribute to infectious diseases becoming more prevalent. The Canada Excellence Research Chair in Evolutionary Dynamics of Host-Pathogen Interactions aims to harness evolution to better understand infection/immunity in a changing world and prepare us in the race against future pandemics. Dr. Kayla King’s research program will test the impacts of warming on host susceptibility and pathogen evolution across animals. It will further explore pathogen evolution after host jumps and in populations with variable or waning immunity. This research has implications for predicting virulence, transmission, and the tempo of evolution as pathogens emerge or move to new areas with shifting climates. Research will principally use “evolution experiments” in animal-pathogen models, as well as state-of-the-art genomics, computational analysis, and mathematical theory in a global change biology framework.
CERC Chairholders - CERC announcement video (starts at 40:11)