Project Grant 2145704

This five-year, $490,536 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) will fund research and education activities to understand how genetic and ecological sources of variation affect host-pathogen dynamics. The principal investigator will conduct field and laboratory experiments to determine how intraspecific variation in pathogen life history traits and host susceptibility influence outcomes of pathogen strain competition and long-term population dynamics. Mathematical models incorporating distributions of host and pathogen traits will be applied at larger scales. The project also aims to establish an undergraduate research program through collaborative projects between University of San Diego and University of Puerto Rico students, and develop a sustained bilingual outreach program in the local San Diego community. If successful, this work will enhance understanding of how variation impacts disease spread and evolution of interacting species. The award was made to the University of San Diego on June 1, 2022.