Aura Raulo

Dr. Aura Raulo is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Knowles Lab, University of Turku, with an email affiliation at the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on microbial transmission dynamics in wild animal populations, leveraging advanced tracking technologies (RFID) and Bayesian statistical methods. She investigates how social networks and environmental factors influence microbiota spread in species like wild mice and flying squirrels. Her work bridges ecology, evolution, and computational modeling, exploring metaphors like 'waves' and 'trees' to unify interdisciplinary approaches. Recent projects include analyzing gut microbiota assembly patterns, developing SIR+ disease models, and studying epigenetic aging in wildlife.

Research interests span microbiome-host interactions, ecological network structures, and the application of cross-disciplinary tools (e.g., financial crisis models to ecological predictions). Collaborations with artists aim to innovate scientific communication through metaphorical frameworks. She contributes to open-source tools for microbiome analysis and has published extensively on topics like microbial transmission mechanisms, habitat quality impacts, and evolutionary patterns.

Key projects include the Knowles Lab’s work on social microbiome dynamics and the development of high-resolution behavioral tracking systems. Her research highlights the interconnectedness of microbial communities with host behavior, environmental conditions, and evolutionary history.