Research
Research
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I am an assistant professor at the Computational Biology department at the University of Lausanne. Part of my group is based at ETH Zurich.
My group is interested in how ecological and evolutionary mechanisms shape the structure and diversity of bacterial populations and, in particular, the dynamics of public health relevant traits, such as antibiotic resistance.
We use mathematical and statistical modelling, and genomic and surveillance data - both publicly available and collected as part of our own studies - to develop evolutionary and epidemiological insights.
We focus on species that share a similar lifestyle: mostly commensal but occasionally pathogenic (e.g. Streptococcus pneumoniae, Escherichia coli) and of high clinical relevance.
Current projects
Current projects
For up to date information about our current work, see the group's website.
Below is some information about my previous work.
Antibiotic resistance dynamics
Antibiotic resistance dynamics
Much of my work has focused on explaining puzzling trends in the frequencies of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, particularly S. pneumoniae. These projects include explaining why resistant bacteria are not out-competing sensitive bacteria; exploring why frequencies of multidrug resistance are higher than expected; analysing the relative importance of selection and horizontal gene transfer in resistance evolution; and the impact of bacterial fratricide on resistance dynamics.
Plasmid ecology and evolution
Plasmid ecology and evolution
Plasmids play an important role in bacterial evolution, in particular through their role as vehicles of horizontal gene transfer. Some genes, such as antibiotic resistance, are more likely to be found on plasmids than the chromosome. In recent work, we suggest a priority effect arising from positive frequency-dependent selection may explain this observation. In related work, we explore the effects of plasmid co-infection on the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of plasmids.
Other projects
Other projects
Other project include work on how the timing of SARS-CoV-2 transmission impacts quarantine and contact tracing and work on protein interaction networks during my PhD.
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