We use evolutionary approaches to study the spread of infectious diseases. To do so, we develop and test statistical phylogenetic models, especially phylodynamic models.
As infectious diseases spread through populations, evolution leaves an indelible mark on their genomes. In our group, we are interested in turning this process around, using the genomes of viruses and other infectious agents to understand the history of transmission. Our key tool in this process is the phylogeny, the record of ancestry of the viruses. The phylogeny encodes spatiotemporal information about their spread through populations through both the evolutionary relationships of the viruses and their pattern of descent. Our main interests lie in developing models to best leverage the information available from phylogenies for quantifying disease transmission and in understanding the quality and limitations of available techniques.
For more, see our group website: https://magee-grp.github.io/