NIMBioS-affiliated Faculty
As part of a major initiative associated with the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) is recruiting at least six new faculty members over the next three years whose research interests are at the interface of mathematics/computation and biology. We are delighted to welcome four new faculty members.
Paul R. Armsworth
Assistant Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Paul R. Armsworth's research addresses applied questions in conservation as well as process-based questions in ecology and evolution. Research in his group integrates mathematical modeling, statistical analyses, and field surveys. Previously, he was a lecturer in Population and Community Ecology at the University of Sheffield. He received a B.A. in Mathematics from Oxford University in 1996, a Ph.D. in Mathematics from James Cook University, Australia, in 2000, and a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University in 2003.
Judy Day
Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics and Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Judy Day's primary research is focused on the development and analysis of mathematical models relating to the immune response to various stimuli and the application of control methodologies to modulate the immune response with therapeutic inputs. Previously, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the Mathematical Biosciences Institute in Columbus, OH. She received a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh in 2007 and a B.Sc. in Mathematics and Computer Information Systems from Mount Union College in 2000.
Vitaly Ganusov
Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology
Vitaly Ganusov focuses on theoretical research in two primary areas: the ecology and the evolution of infectious disease and within-host dynamics of pathogens and immune response. Ganusov uses mathematical models to understand the details of the epidemiological spread of infectious diseases. He also investigates the role of T cells in viral infections. Previously, he was a postdoctoral Director's fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He received a B.Sc. (1997) and a M.Sc. (2000) in physics at Krasnoyarsk State University in Siberia, Russia, and a Ph.D. in Biology from Emory University in 2003.
Jaewook Joo
Assistant Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy
Jaewook Joo's research focuses on applying statistical physics, stochastic processes, and nonlinear dynamics to the dynamical behavior and the collective phenomena in complex biological systems. Previously, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the Computational Systems Biology Department at Sandia National Laboratories and held a joint postdoctoral appointment in Physics and Microbiology at Pennsylvania State University. He received an M.S. in Computer Science and a Ph.D. in Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics from Rutgers University in 2004.
Cristina Lanzas
Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, Department of Comparative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine
Cristina Lanzas's research interests include the development and application of mathematical and epidemiological approaches to study dynamics and control of infectious diseases caused by zoonotic and enteric pathogens in both animal and human populations. Her research aims to understand the sources of variation that drive transmission dynamics and persistence of pathogens in host populations and to quantify the effect of control strategies. Previously, she
was a research associate in the Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Cornell University. She received a degree in Veterinary Medicine from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain, in 2000, and a M.Sc. (2003) and Ph.D. (2007) in Animal Sciences from Cornell University.
Brian O’Meara
Assistant Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Brian O'Meara's primary research focuses on phylogenetic methods for dealing with trait evolution. Previously, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the National Evolutionary Science Center (NESCent), where he began development of a database of extant and possible comparative methods and software. He received his B.S. in Biology from Harvard University in 2001 and his Ph.D. in Biology from the University of California, Davis, in 2008. His dissertation research examined Myrmecocystus phylogeny and character evolution and new methods for investigating trait evolution and species delimitation in trees.
