Project Grant 2303760

This three-year, $240,000 project grant from the National Science Foundation will support genomic research and public education on wildlife viral emergence in Cambodia. Funded under the Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074), the award will enable a postdoctoral fellow to conduct metagenomic surveillance of rodents, mosquitoes, and the environment to detect known and novel viruses. Sequence data will be analyzed alongside climate and landscape data to model zoonotic spillover risk. The fellow will train in viral discovery, surveillance, and risk assessment methods while developing skills in public science communication, conservation, and public health. Collaborating with the Wildlife Conservation Society, University of Calgary, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, and Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, the fellow will create online modules on genomic disease surveillance and its role in One Health. Modules will support local outreach by WCS Cambodia and the Institut Pasteur's virology unit, advancing pandemic preparedness through research, education, and stakeholder engagement.