Episode 60: Merging computer science and ecology to better understand infectious disease

Identifying and understanding zoonotic diseases—infections that are spread between people and animals—can help predict future emergence risks, particularly in vulnerable populations. Combined with computational and data-based models, this research allows us to study potential diseases in the hopes of preventing outbreaks.

On this episode of Science Talks, Amy Barber is joined by Dr. Liliana Salvador, assistant professor of animal and comparative biomedical sciences, at the University of Arizona College of Agriculture, Life & Environmental Sciences. Dr. Salvador combines ecological, genomic, epidemiological, and movement data with computational and mathematical models to understand zoonotic diseases in wildlife, livestock, and humans.