Jessica F Brinkworth

Jessica F Brinkworth is an Associate Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Department of Anthropology within the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. She directs the Evolutionary Immunology and Genomics Lab while holding affiliations with the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, and Center for Social and Behavioral Sciences.

• Research focuses on evolutionary immunology, human immune variation, and host-pathogen interactions
• Active in community-based health initiatives like LHEAP
• Recipient of NSF and sustainability grants

Education: PhD in Anthropology (2012) from City University of New York Graduate Center.

Her research explores why certain individuals develop severe infections through evolutionary, ecological, and social lenses. The lab investigates primate immune system evolution, pandemic-driven genomic changes, and occupational impacts on innate immunity, with specific attention to sepsis, plague, pneumonia, Toxoplasma, and SARS-CoV-2.

Recent publications show thematic focus on pandemic ecology, evolutionary trade-offs in immunity, and social determinants of health. Lab members include PhD students Grace Shaw, Abby Long, and Brett Stallone-Dwyer working on stress-epigenetics, trauma immunology, and neural reward systems in physical activity.

• 2021 LAS Impact Award for community pandemic response
• NSF BCS-1750675 Grant recipient
• 2019 Gabriel W. Lasker Award winner

The lab pioneers sustainability initiatives like SUPER Labs, reducing plastic waste in research environments, and operates the Carbon Garden at Davenport Hall.