معرفی
Dr. Joel Slade is an Assistant Professor of Biology at California State University, Fresno, within the College of Science and Mathematics. He leads the Slade Lab, focusing on avian evolutionary ecology, ecoimmunology, and disease ecology. His research investigates how urbanization impacts avian immune systems, the role of immunogenetic signals in mate choice, microbial influences on bird health, and climate change effects on pathogen dynamics.
Dr. Slade holds a B.Sc. in Marine Biology from Dalhousie University, an M.Sc. in Applied Science from Saint Mary's University, and a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Western Ontario. He completed postdoctoral research at the BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action at Michigan State University. He teaches courses including Ecology, Evolution, Molecular Ecology, and Immunology.
His lab actively engages undergraduate and graduate students in fieldwork (e.g., blood sampling, microscopy) and lab techniques (DNA extraction, PCR, bioinformatics). Key projects include NSF-funded studies on urbanization effects in cardueline finches and microbiome analyses of avian preen oil. Recent publications span topics like avian immune gene evolution, Salmonella genomics, and chemical signaling in birds.
Lab achievements include NSF grants, student awards (e.g., best thesis, presentation awards), and collaborative seed grants. Dr. Slade emphasizes training students in experimental design and interdisciplinary research, fostering a dynamic environment for exploring avian health and adaptation.
