welcome!
We are the Comparative + Integrative Pathogen-Host Ecology Research (CIPHER) Lab and we recently opened our doors at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
Led by Dr. Anna Fagre, Assistant Professor in the Dept of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine, our group thinks about the transmission dynamics of emerging zoonoses and how they interact with other factors to shape the health of humans, wildlife, and domestic animal species.
The CIPHER lab is dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment where curiosity and compassion drive discovery and inspire the development of new hypotheses.
Some of the questions we are currently exploring include:
- which intrinsic and extrinsic factors modulate host susceptibility to infection?
- e.g., abiotic stress, co-infection, life history changes
- how do host-vector interactions shape pathogen transmission?
- e.g., arthropod feeding patterns, ectoparasite communities, shifts in vector abundance and distribution
- how are pathogens maintained between epidemics and/or epizootics?
- e.g., fomites, environmental reservoir, sylvatic transmission cycles, overwintering
to answer these questions…
👉 we design studies using both observational + experimental approaches
👉 we use a comparative lens to study processes across species and systems
👉 we map mechanisms across biological scales
Our work is collaborative + interdisciplinary by design.
We are looking to form new partnerships and would love to hear from you!