Val McKenzie is associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado Boulder. McKenzie’s research integrates microbial ecology, wildlife conservation, and disease ecology; her research questions merge discoveries of the biology of symbiotic relationships between animals and microbes with innovative tools that can improve the ways we conserve wildlife and nature. McKenzie has worked on many animal, microbe, and disease systems including amphibian parasites and microbes, bat microbes and white-nose syndrome, fish parasites, and microbes from a diversity of vertebrate animals, as well as broad-scale patterns in microbial ecology and evolution. She uses patterns observed in natural field systems to inform laboratory experimental approaches and aims to connect research with applied conservation. McKenzie has presented multiple national and international invited talks.
Previously
Knowledge about the human microbiome, those trillions of bacteria, viruses, and other microbes that inhabit our bodies, is revolutionizing medicine just as mapping the human g...
Anyone who has ever had a pet understands how deeply connected human beings are to the animals who serve as our companions, lessen our stress, and perhaps offer a buffer again...