peoplePeter Hudson
Willaman Professor of Biology
Email: pjh18@psu.edu
Phone: 814-865-0522
Fax: 814-865-9131
Office: 512 Mueller Lab
Research
I focus on the ecology of wildlife diseases, including zoonoses. My group uses a mixture of fieldwork, laboratory studies and mathematical modeling to explore disease dynamics in three main study areas.
Epidemiology and population dynamics
- How disease flows through wild animal populations
- Mechanisms that lead to disease persistence within populations
- The consequences of individual infections on host population dynamics. For instance, how the sub-lethal effects of infection destabilize host population dynamics by influencing the fecundity of individuals.
Heterogeneities
- Identifying variation in transmission between infected individuals — and the role of "superspreaders" in disease dynamics.
Parasite interactions
- How infection by one disease agent alters host susceptibility to other parasites and pathogens.
- The consequences of these interactions for host population dynamics.
Much of my work has implications for the control of wildlife diseases, and of emerging zoonotic disease.
CIDD-related teaching
BIOL 412: Ecology of infectious diseases
This course examines how ecological processes impact upon the epidemiology of infectious diseases.
ECLGY 597B: Advances in ecology
A comprehensive overview of the new and fundamental developments in ecological theory. Highlights how ecological concepts can be applied to a range of current environmental problems such as harvesting, conservation, environmental assessment and pest management.
» Find more details about or enroll in one of these courses