Nicole Gerardo

Nicole Gerardo is a Professor at Emory University and Director of the Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences. Her lab studies evolutionary ecology in insect-microbe systems, including aphid-bacteria symbioses and fungus-growing ants.

Education includes a Ph.D. from University of Texas at Austin (2004) and B.A. from Rice University (1997).

Research integrates experimental evolution, genomics, and field ecology to address:

• Mechanisms of symbiont-mediated pathogen defense
• Transmission dynamics in mutualisms
• Host immunological trade-offs
• Agricultural applications of protective microbes

Recent work examines priority effects in symbiont colonization, monarch butterfly microbiomes, and coevolution in ant-fungal systems. Field sites span Panama, Brazil, and agricultural ecosystems.