josemi

josemi is an ecologist and evolutionary biologist at the University of Florida, specializing in statistical inference for stochastic processes in Ecology and Evolution. Their research focuses on evidential statistics, antibiotic resistance dynamics, and stochastic community dynamics in microbial ecosystems. They lead NIH- and NSF-funded projects on topics such as the vaginal microbiome, plasmid-bacteria interactions, and environmental pathogen transmission modeling. Collaborations include work with Dr. Eva M. Top on antibiotic resistance evolution and Dr. Larry J. Forney on vaginal microbial flora studies.

Research interests integrate theoretical and applied aspects of stochastic modeling, bridging ecological and evolutionary dynamics. Notable projects include analyzing vaginal microbiome homeostasis using data from the Human Microbiome Project and studying the role of accessory helicases in plasmid persistence. Their work on evidential statistics aims to refine scientific argumentation through statistical rigor. Fieldwork includes studies in Torres del Paine, Chile, and Amazonian bird communities in Peru.

Advising includes mentoring Ari Martinez (now at CSULB) and Peruvian undergraduate students in statistical ecology methodologies. Grants span NIH, NSF, and National Geographic initiatives. josemi has conducted extensive fieldwork in Peru, contributing to bird census projects and teaching statistical ecology to local researchers.