Our Team
Project team members have expertise in a wide spectrum of specialties including disease ecology, microbiology, evolution, and modeling (mathematical/statistical). Our group is made up of faculty, post-docs, graduate, and undergraduate students interested in disease ecology dynamics. The projects aim to identify sources of variation in a non-tuberculous mycobacteria that lead to disease outbreaks in humans and other vertebrates, such as fish.
Dr. M. Eric Benbow -
Principal Investigator
Dr. Benbow is a community and disease ecologist, with expertise in studying how complex communities (e.g., insects and their associated microbes) contribute to ecological systems and using this understanding in various applications in medicine, disease, and environmental management. For over 15 years he has worked on deciphering transmission routes for Buruli ulcer with a focus on the ecology of Mycobacterium ulcerans in natural environments and in association with invertebrate and vertebrate (including humans) hosts and reservoirs.
Dr. Jean-François Guégan -
Co-Principal Investigator
Dr. Guégan is a dedicated “excellence in research” research professor at both INRAE and IRD, and a professor at the French School of Public Health (EHESP), France. He also acts as an expert for the World Health Organization.
Dr. Heather Jordan -
Co-Principal Investigator
Dr. Jordan’s research combines classical microbiology and genomics/transcriptomics, involving next-generation sequencing, to determine microbial community structure and function under several environmental and host niches and conditions in an effort to elucidate how each attribute contributes to individual cell fitness, signaling and overall microbial community fitness, and host health. She has expertise with ecology, transmission, and Pathogenesis of Mycobacterium ulcerans and other mycolactone producing mycobacteria.
Dr. Jennifer Pechal -
Co-Principal Investigator
Dr. Pechal research focus and expertise is on understanding insects and microbiome dynamics associated with hosts, resources, and how they can be harnessed to improve and transform livelihoods. She uses high-throughput metagenomics and statistical modeling to identify forms and functions of Mycobacterium ulcerans (and those closely related species) that allow this pathogen to persist in the environment.
Dr. Michael Sandel -
Co-Principal Investigator
Dr. Sandel and his lab members study genomics to better understand the evolution of aquatic vertebrates and their pathogens and symbionts. We are investigating the dermal microbiomes of fishes and amphibians because these microenvironments are the only-known vertebrate reservoirs of mycolactone-producing mycobacteria, which are the etiologic agents responsible for Buruli Ulcer.
Dr. Christine Chevillon -
Collaborator
Dr. Chevillon investigates the modalities, evolutionary/ecological constraints, and consequences of species adaptations to new environments. Viewed through a lens of diverse biological models, such as pesticide resistances or emerging pathogens (e.g., arboviruses, invasive cattle ticks, tick-borne pathogens, Mycobacterium ulcerans). Combining field observations and laboratory experiments as well as complementary approaches of population genetics, phylogeny, community ecology, and life-historical traits analyses.
Alex Bauer -
Alex Bauer (MSc) was a student Dr. Benbow’s Lab until December 2022. She studied aquatic invertebrate communities of French Guiana and how they may act as reservoirs for multiple Mycobacterium species that have humans and fish/wildlife health effects.
Magdalene Dogbe -
PhD Student
With a BSc. in Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology and Masters in Molecular Cell Biology of Infectious Diseases, I am excited to join the group as a PhD student from Mississippi State University performing Mycolactone detection, VNTR profiling and Intergenic Region genotyping, gene expression and mycobacterium amplicon sequencing as well as field microcosm studies using membrane filter chambers.
Kayla Fast -
Research Associate
Kayla completed her B.S. and M.S. at Mississippi State University and is currently a Research Associate at The Mississippi State University. Her interests lie in host-parasite/pathogen interactions and phylogenetics using a genomic framework.
Alex Rakestraw -
MS Student - Research Associate
Alex earned is MS studying ichthyofaunal drivers of freshwater microbial communities in French Guiana from The University of West Alabama. He is now a research associate at Michigan State University
Dr. Sophie Picq -
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Dr. Picq’ passion and research focus have been directed towards understanding eco-evolutionary processes that contribute to tropical fish diversity, including the role of ecological interactions across trophic levels in promoting the stability and resilience of aquatic communities. She combines field sampling, genomics, behavioral experiments and biostatistical modeling to quantify fish and aquatic invertebrate community diversity. Dr. Picq has now moved on to the Field Museum in Chicago but maintains regular contact with our research team.