Scott Carver, PhD - Professor
I am a Professor of Disease Ecology and Associate Dean for Research and Operations in the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia. I am also Associate Director of the Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases (CEID) at the University of Georgia. My research stives to address key challenges in the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases, with a particular focus on the impacts and control of animal pathogens. I am most passionate about animal conservation and health, and research producing solutions-oriented translational outcomes for stakeholders. 

I completed a BSc and MSc at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. I undertook a PhD at the University of Western Australia, followed by two postdoctoral fellowships at Montana Tech and Colorado State University. I was an academic at the University of Tasmania from 2012-2023, and commenced my current position at UGA in 2024. It is a privilege to support, work with, and be inspired by talented graduate and undergraduate students, colleagues, and other stakeholders. It has also been an honor to have held several leadership roles over my career, including being Chair of the Wildlife Disease Association Australasia, Chair of the University of Tasmania Animal Ethics Committee, and my current roles as Associate Dean of Research and Operations in the Odum School of Ecology, and Associate Director of CEID.
Marta Valldeperes - Postdoctoral fellow
I am a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Odum School of Ecology at UGA. I completed my DVM in Barcelona (Spain), my MSc in Murcia (Spain), and my PhD at the Autonomous University of Barcelona on sarcoptic mange in the Iberian ibex. Recently, I have also worked with the Comportement et Ecologie de la Faune Sauvage (CEFS) group in France, studying how the presence of pathogens can shape the spatial movement of mountain ungulates. I have been fortunate to work with several groups that specialize on working with large wildlife in field settings. My main research interests focus on pathogen management and control in wildlife, and I also I like pathology and diagnostics.  
Macy Kailing, PhD - Postdoctoral fellow
I am a Postdoc in the Odum School of Ecology at UGA. I completed a PhD at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University where I worked on the drivers and consequences of sex-biased infections in bats affected by white-nose syndrome. The primary motivation of my research is to inform management and intervention decisions in wildlife disease systems through cross-disciplinary efforts. I am broadly interested in how ecological and evolutionary processes feedback to vary the impacts of emerging infectious disease across scales and the effects of seasonality on host-pathogen dynamics.
Elise Ringwaldt, PhD – Postdoctoral fellow
​I am a Postdoctoral Researcher based at the University of Tasmania, Australia. I’m currently researching the landscape epidemiology of sarcoptic mange in bare-nosed wombats in New South Wales for the Curb Wombat Mange Project funded by the New South Wales Department of Environment and Planning. I completed a PhD in disease ecology and a Bachelor of Science with Honours, at the University of Tasmania.
My broad interests include disease ecology, landscape epidemiology, wildlife conservation, parasitology and animal health. I’m also a keen fieldworker and find any excuse to be outside collecting the data. 
Kylie Green - MS candidate
I am currently a MS candidate in Ecology at the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia. I received my Bachelor of Science from Penn State University in Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, where I primarily focused on disease management, toxicology, and wildlife-arthropod interactions. After completing my degree, I worked as a Research Technician for the Veterinary Entomology Lab at Penn State, focusing on vector and disease ecology of vertebrates and their ectoparasites to develop integrated pest management and control strategies. My prior projects have largely focused on the spatial ecology of tick hosts as reservoirs of Lyme Disease, prevalence of sarcoptic mange in Pennsylvanian black bears and canids, as well as the immune system function of acquired tick resistance in white-tailed deer and small mammals. Though I am broadly interested in disease ecology, my current research interests are factors contributing to host immune response, including higher susceptibility to infection and permissiveness, as well as underlying mechanisms of successful infection of novel pathogens.
Maddy Solomon - PhD candidate
​I am a doctoral candidate in the Odum School of Ecology. I earned a Bachelor's degree from St. Lawrence University in conservation biology and public health, and a Master's in Conservation Medicine (MCM) from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. I have also collaborated with UTS Sydney and Zoo New England, to research conservation issues from the local to international scale. I have always held an affinity for creatures large and small, but my specific interest in wildlife disease ecology developed during my time as a campus EMT and public health student during the COVID-19 pandemic. I plan to combine my passions for One Health and compassionate conservation to best serve humans, non-human animals, and the environment.​
Ellysia Young - PhD candidate
I am a PhD Candidate at the University of Sydney, supervised by Aaron Greenville and Scott Carver. I completed a BSc (Hons) at the University of Tasmania, with research on maternal protectiveness in feral horses to intra- and inter-specific sources of risk. For my PhD, I am studying sarcoptic mange disease in koalas and wombats. I am interested in a range of disciplinary areas, including fire ecology, disease ecology, biodiversity conservation, and animal welfare.
Pippi Lawn - PhD candidate
I am a PhD candidate based at the University of Tasmania, Australia, supervised by Prof. Jamie Kirkpatrick, Prof. Scott Carver and Prof. Vanessa Adams. I am particularly interested in how biogeomorphological processes influence ecology, through reciprocal interactions between landforms, fauna and flora. My research investigates the role of geomorphic pit features in grassland ecology, with a specific focus on dolines (sinkholes) and excavations produced by the bare-nosed wombat, an ecosystem engineer. I have a BSc (Hons) from the University of Queensland, Australia, and previously worked with Parks Canada for over 15 years, leading a variety of conservation and ecology projects in protected areas.
Catherine Hanks - Undergraduate researcher
​I am an undergraduate researcher in the Odum School of Ecology. I am in my fourth year of pursuing a B.S. in Ecology with a minor in Anthropology and a Sustainability Certificate. In previous projects, I surveyed herpetofauna across different habitat types in Costa Rica and researched the impacts of the dusky gopher frog reintroduction program at the Memphis Zoo. I have a broad range of ecological interests and a passion for all animals and biodiversity conservation. 

Alumni

Postdoctoral fellows
  • Nicholas Fountain-Jones. 2015, 2018-23. Departments of Biological Sciences and Mathematics and Physics, University of Tasmania
  • Nicholas Beeton. 2014-15. School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Rachel Harris. 2013-15. School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
Research associates
  • Leah Burgess. 2022-24. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Elizabeth Browne. 2020-21. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Renee Dodd. 2019. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Alynn Martin. 2018. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
PhD candidates
  • Victoria Wilkinson. 2020-24. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Melanie Wells. 2020-24. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Christina Næsborg-Nielsen. 2020-24. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Elise Ringwaldt. 2019-23. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Regi Broeren. 2019-24. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Iain Koolhof. 2017-22. School of Medicine, University of Tasmania
  • David Lizarraga. 2017-2020. Conjoined PhD: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania; Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast
  • Lucile Leveque. 2017-2022. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Christopher Kozakiewicz. 2015-2018. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Tamieka Fraser. 2015-2018. Conjoined PhD: School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania; Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast
  • Alynn Martin. 2014-2018. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Sebastien Comte. 2014-19. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Manuel Ruiz Aravena. 2014-18. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Paul Botwe. 2013-17. School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Raylea Rowbottom. 2011-2020. School of Agricultural Science, University of Tasmania
MS candidates
  • Wiebke Knoblauch. 2021-22. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Julie Tamura. 2019-20. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Kotaro Takano. 2017-18. School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Natalia Mejia Pacheco. 2016-17. School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Iain Koolhof. 2015-16. School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Annie Kellner. 2012-2016. Department of Biology, Colorado State University
  • Kyle Richardson. 2010-12. Department of Biology, Montana Tech of the University of Montana
  • Barbara Cline. 2010. Department of Industrial Hygiene, Montana Tech of the University of Montana. Mentored bringing completed thesis to publication
Honors candidates
  • Kate McMahon. 2023. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Reika Takeuchi. 2022-23. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Ryan McClusky. 2022. School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney
  • Zac Lewin. 2022. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Tyler Maher. 2022. Institute of Applied Ecology, University of Canberra
  • Leah Burges. 2021. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Louise Callanan. 2020-22. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Elizabeth Browne. 2020. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Laura Smith. 2019-20. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Amy MacIntosh. 2019. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Woei Jiun Tan. 2019. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Alyce Hennessy. 2018-20. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Debby Ng. 2018. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Ellyssia Watts. 2016-17. School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Elise Ringwaldt. 2016. School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Luke Denholm. 2015-16. Department of Mathematics and Physics, University of Tasmania
  • Tamika Lunn. 2015. School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Joanne Horton. 2014-15. School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Kelly Simpson. 2014. School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Chris Kozakiewicz. 2013-14. School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Clarissa van Schie. 2006. School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia
Undergraduate researchers
  • Kate McMahon. 2022-23. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Zac Lewin. 2021. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Leah Burges. 2020-21. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Elizabeth Browne. 2019. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Kawinwit Kittipalawattanapol. 2019. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Samantha Seah. 2018-19. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Anila Kalonia. 2018. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Renee Dodd. 2018. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Emma Nichols. 2018. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Wiebke Knoblauch. 2018. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Kotaro Takano. 2017. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Sandon James. 2016. School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Natalia Mejia Pacheco. 2016. School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Kotaro Takano. 2016. School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Samantha James. 2016. School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Sybil Sim. 2016. School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Danielle Madden. 2016. School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Elise Ringwaldt. 2015. School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Amanda Sinclair. 2015. School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Marie Jones. 2014-15. Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota
  • Tamika Lunn. 2014. School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Iain Koolhof. 2014. School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Rhys Rumley. 2014. School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Jessica Scanlan. 2014. School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
  • Ee-Jon Yeoh. 2013. School of Zoology, University of Tasmania
  • Kellie Simpson. 2013. School of Zoology, University of Tasmania
  • Dahlia Foo. 2012-13. School of Zoology, University of Tasmania
  • Anne Kellner. 2011-12. Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University
  • J. Alexander Griffith. 2010-11. Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University
  • Jeremy Trueax. 2009-10. Department of Biology, Montana Tech of the University of Montana
  • Kyle Richardson. 2009-10. Department of Biology, Montana Tech of the University of Montana. Awarded Best Undergraduate Presenter at the Montana Academy of Sciences conference, 2010
  • Cody Richardson. 2009-10. Department of Biology, Montana Tech of the University of Montana
  • Kelsey Estabrook. 2008-2009. Department of Biology, Montana Tech of the University of Montana
  • Vanessa Sakalidis. 2007. School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia, Perth