Meet the NIMBioS Postdocs
NIMBioS provides an opportunity for postdoctoral scholarship at the interface between mathematics and biological science. Postdoctoral scholars propose synthetic projects that require an amalgam of mathematical and biological approaches, and are expected to include explicit opportunities to expand the scholar's previous education. Applications are reviewed three times per year, and the selected researchers are offered positions at NIMBioS where they conduct research that is mostly self-directed. Request deadlines are March 1, September 1, and December 11 for activities beginning six months later.
For more information about postdoctoral fellowships at NIMBioS and the application process, click here.
Juanjuan "JJ" Chai
Start date: August 2011
Email
Phone: 865-974-4980
Project Title: Identifiability of statistical models and consistency of maximum parsimony in phylogenetics
JJ Chai (Ph.D. Mathematics, Indiana Univ. Bloomington, 2011) is conducting research on solving problems related to maximum parsimony in phylogenetics and the identifiability of phylogenetic models.
Orou Gaoue
Start date: June 2011
Email
Phone: 865-974-9727
Project Title: Integrating new developments in stochastic demography to modeling the ecological impacts of non-timber forest products harvest
Orou Gaoue (Ph.D., Botany, University of Hawaii, 2008) uses a meta-analytical approach and stochastic demographic models to investigate how plant populations response to non-timber forest products harvest varies between species, life form and ecological contexts.
R. Tucker Gilman
Start date: September 2010
Email
Phone: 865-974-4892
Project Title: Modeling the evolution of speciation in coevolving systems
R. Tucker Gilman (Ph.D., Zoology, Univ. of Wisconsin, 2010) is developing a modeling framework to explore the relationship between coevolution and speciation in order to advance understanding of the two-way relationship between ecological and evolutionary processes.
Click here for more information about Dr. Gilman's work.
Click here to view a NIMBioS video interview with Dr. Gillman: Math for Frogs.
Tom E. Ingersoll
Start date: September 2010
Email
Phone: 865-974-9460
Project Title: Dispersal and dynamic occupancy models for the spread of white nose syndrome in bats
Tom Ingersoll (Ph.D., Environmental Science, Policy and Management, UC Berkeley, 2010) is developing dispersal and
dynamic models for the spread of white nose syndrome in bats.
Click here for more information about Dr. Ingersoll's work.
Click here to view a NIMBioS video interview with Dr. Ingersoll: White Nose Syndrome in Bats.
Andrew Kanarek
Start date: August 2011
Email
Phone: 865-974-9448
Project Title: An integrated theoretical analysis of the influence of individual trait variation on the dynamics and persistence of small populations
Andrew Kanarek (Ph.D. Biology, Colorado State University, 2011) is conducting an integrated theoretical analysis of the influence of individual trait variation on the dynamics and persistence of small populations.
Maud Lélu
Start date: November 2011
Email
Phone: 865-974-4981
Project Title: Mathematical modeling of the evolution of complex life cycles with application to Toxoplasma gondii
Maude Lélu (Ph.D., Ecology, University of Reims Champagne-Ardennes, 2010) is developing a general framework to study the evolution of trophically transmitted parasites and more specifically is focusing on the genetic diversity and virulence of Toxoplasma gondii.
Gesham Magombedze
Start date: January 2012
Email
Phone: 865-974-9328
Project Title: Modeling the immunological host-pathogen interaction of Johne’s disease to understand its pathology and treatment
Gesham Magombedze (Ph.D., Applied Mathematics, National University of Science and Technology, Zimbabwe, 2009) is developing mathematical models to understand the major factors involved in Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) infection and host interaction in order to enhance understanding of resistance and susceptibility patterns between pathogens and persistence of infection.
Emily Moran
Start date: September 2010
Email
Phone: 865-974-4873
Project Title: Community genetics and global change: scaling up genotype-level plant responses to population and community dynamics
Emily Moran (Ph.D., Biology, Duke Univ., 2010) is investigating the impact of increasing CO2 on inter-genotype competition and plant-insect interactions in aspen forests in order to develop a modeling framework that could be applied to other forest communities.
Click here for more information about Dr. Moran's work.
Click here to view a NIMBioS video interview with Dr. Moran: Changing Forests.
Calistus Ngonghala
Start date: August 2011
Email
Phone: 865-974-4962
Project Title: A new model with vector demography for the dynamics of malaria transmission
Calistus Ngonghala (Ph.D. Mathematics, West Virginia Univ. 2011) is developing a mathematical model to study the role of mosquito demography in the dynamics of malaria transmission and is also studying the interplay between per capita income and infectious disease prevalence.
Click here for more information about Dr. Ngonghala's work.
Daniel Ryan
Start date: August 2011
Email
Phone: 865-974-4962
Project Title: Investigating the effects of movement strategies on the population dynamics of multi-trophic ecological communities
Daniel Ryan (Ph.D. Mathematics, Univ. of Miami, 2011) investigates the role non-random movement strategies play in the population dynamics of multi-trophic communities living in a heterogeneous environment.
Xavier Thibert-Plante
Start date: April 2010
Email
Phone: 865-974-4974
Project Title: Local adaptation and gene flow under climate change
Xavier Thibert-Plante (Ph.D., Mathematical Biology, McGill University, 2010) examines the impact of climate change on biodiversity, specifically the evolution of biodiversity and the process of biodiversification in a changing environment.
Click here for more information about Dr. Thibert-Plante's work.
Click here to view a NIMBioS video interview with Dr. Thibert-Plante: Biodiversity in a Changing World.
Past Postdoctoral Fellows
Folashade Agusto
Erol Akçay
Sharon Bewick
William Godsoe
Tony Jhwueng
Yi Mao
