peopleLaura Pomeroy
Graduate Student
Email: lmw253@psu.edu
Phone: 814-863-1815
Fax:
Office: 505 ASI Building
Research
I am interested in the evolution, molecular phylogeny, and spatial spread of infectious diseases, particularly the morbilliviruses. I am modeling the spatial spread of phocine distemper virus (PDV) among harbor seals in the North Sea (UK) using two models:
- A metapopulation model: a simple distance-based model of disease transmission that subdivides host populations into "patches"
- A gravity model, based on transportation theory
The fundamental difference is that the metapopulation model describes infection as either present or absent while the gravity model incorporates spatial structure and networks.