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Allyson Placko

McNew Lab
Placko
aaplacko@arizona.edu

Education:

  • Ph.D. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona (2026-Present)
  • B.S. Microbiology, University of Arizona (2021-2024)
  • Mesa Community College (2019-2021)

Research Interests: 

I am broadly interested in viral ecology and evolution, with a particular focus on how viral evolutionary history and host–virus coevolution shape viral traits and disease dynamics. My current research leverages two strains of avian poxvirus introduced to the Galápagos Islands. Using a combination of fieldwork, wet lab work, and bioinformatic approaches, I investigate the origins of these viruses, how they have evolved following introduction into a naïve host community, and how they circulate within and impact host populations.