Dr Kristyna Rysava

I am a quantitative ecologist at the School of Life Sciences and the Systems Biology and Infectious Disease Epidemiology Research Institute (SBIDER). I am primarily interested in the evolutionary, environmental, and social determinants driving disease dynamics, with focus on applications in policy, health inequalities, and conservation.

The lab’s research investigates the processes regulating patterns of infection within and between hosts, and the ways these processes interact to shape disease evolution and health outcomes. The particular interest is in linking within-host dynamics with distribution and movement behaviour of the host species in the context of spatiotemporally heterogeneous environments.

We use a combination of empirical field and serological data, large-scale experiments, computational simulations, and mathematical and statistical modelling to predict likely development trajectories to assess the potential benefits and resource requirements for management and surveillance strategies.

In this lab, we value interdisciplinary approaches to research and offer a safe and supportive space for scientists from all backgrounds. We believe in fostering compassionate interpersonal relationships to facilitate a thriving, inclusive environment in our lab and beyond.

The specific focus of my lab’s research is to investigate how heterogeneity in environment, life-history, and behaviour of hosts and pathogens modulate contact rates and disease transmission; examine trade-offs that limit pathogen virulence and host preference; and characterize the patterns of outbreak variation across time and space.

We aim to explore these themes through the following project areas:

1. Diseases of domestic dogs (e.g., rabies), their spatial and movement ecology, and One Health Management

2. Linking within- and between-host dynamics in the ecology and evolution of environmentally transmitted infectious diseases (e.g., anthrax)

3. Barriers and drivers of dengue virus transmission in novel or immunologically complex settings

4. Characterizing modes of avian influenza transmission between wild and domestic bird populations