Nicole Gerardo

– Early life and education:
– Earned B.A. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Rice University in Houston, Texas in 1997
– Received Ph.D. in Integrative Biology from the University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas in 2004

– Career:
– Gerardo is an entomologist and Professor of Biology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia
– Focuses on evolutionary ecology, particularly relationships between beneficial and harmful microbes and hosts
– Revealed pea aphid’s loss of the Imd pathway through whole-genome analyses
– Studied immune gene evolution in monarch butterflies
– Explored fungal pathogens and fungus-growing ants

– Awards and honors:
– Received the Emory Williams Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award in 2020

– References:
– Nicole Gerardo’s profile available at Emory University
– Editorial involvement in the Annual Review of Entomology
– Research on aphids featured in Futurity
– Work on ant-microbe connections covered in Emory Report
– Publications in BMC Biology, Molecular Biology and Evolution, and Molecular Ecology

– Notable research:
– Explored symbiotic relationships between hosts and microbes
– Investigated the origins and diversity of arthropod immune systems
– Studied immune gene evolution in monarch butterflies
– Explored symbiosis involving ants, fungi, and bacteria
– Recognized for excellence in teaching and mentoring at Emory University