about the walker lab
We research the molecular evolution and ecology of microorganisms with an emphasis on pathogenic fungi. My lab group uses a variety of molecular and microbiological techniques including metabarcoding and high-throughput sequencing to study host-microbiome-pathogen interactions. We study the synergistic to antagonistic interactions within these systems to understand disease outcome for wildlife species of conservation concern. The southeastern United States is a global hotspot for wildlife biodiversity and serves as a foundation for our field studies. We are interested in answering questions of theoretical importance about the hierarchical structuring and spatiotemporal patterns of the host microbiome.
Snake FUngal Disease |
White nose syndrome of bats |
darter nest disease |
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An interdisciplinary research team led by Donny Walker (Middle Tennessee State University), Jason Stajich (University of California, Riverside), and Joey Spatafora and Kerry McPhail (Oregon State University) is hiring three postdocs and threeherptilemicrobiomes.org/ graduate students to participate in “Gut-inhabiting fungi influence structure and function of herptile microbiomes through horizontal gene transfer and novel metabolic function”. This project is funded through NSF’s Understanding Rules of Life: Microbiome Interactions and Mechanisms program, and will integrate ecological, evolutionary, chemical, and genomic data to elucidate the functional roles that specialized metabolites play in regulating fungal-bacterial interactions in gut microbiomes. Visit herptilemicrobiomes.org for more information. |
Prospective students can email me at [email protected]
This work is supported by the following funding agencies and institutions:
This work is supported by the following funding agencies and institutions:
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