Research interests
Studies on the vertebrate host and vector specificity and virulence of avian malaria parasites and other haemosporidia, identification of genetic factors influencing parasite virulence, genetic divergence of haemosporidian parasites, molecular and evolutionary biology, development of new molecular techniques and studies of the factors determining parasite transmission; the influence of the microbiota on the development of malaria parasites and the influence of the parasite on the host microbiota. Experimental work using a vertebrate host, a haemosporidian parasite and a vector; studies of haemosporidia using light microscopy and morphometry, PCR and sequencing methods for parasite diagnosis, molecular analysis of laser-dissected single parasite cells, methods to untangle parasite and host gene expression and microbiome analysis.
