Allison Gardner

Allison Gardner is an Assistant Professor in the School of Biology and Ecology at the University of Maine. She holds affiliations with the Ecology and Environmental Sciences program, the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, and the Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on the ecology of vector-borne diseases transmitted by arthropods such as mosquitoes and ticks, integrating field studies, lab experiments, and quantitative tools to address public health challenges.

Education: PhD Entomology (2016), MS Statistics (2015), MS Veterinary Pathobiology (2012), and BA History and Biology (2010), all from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, complemented by a BA in History from Williams College (2010).

Her research interests include understanding vector biology, developing sustainable vector management strategies, and predicting disease transmission hotspots. Current projects investigate Lyme disease expansion in Maine, Zika virus vectors in the Caribbean, and socio-economic drivers of disease risk. She employs ecological theory and collaborative modeling to bridge environmental, human, and policy dimensions of disease systems.

Her recent work combines spatial epidemiology, land-use analysis, and citizen science to address tick control, mosquito habitat dynamics, and human behavior influencing disease prevention. Collaborations span disciplines, including ecologists, public health experts, and policymakers to create actionable solutions for vector-borne disease mitigation.