Kimberly VanderWaal

Kimberly VanderWaal is an Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota's College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine. Her research focuses on pathogen transmission dynamics in livestock populations, integrating genomic, epidemiological, and spatial modeling tools.

• Education:
  • PhD, University of California, Davis
  • BS, University of Minnesota

Her work addresses multi-strain viral evolution, cross-immunity interactions, and data-driven disease forecasting for swine pathogens like PRRSV and PEDV, using machine learning and computational immunology. She also investigates wildlife-livestock disease interfaces in East Africa and Southeast Asia.

Key projects include:

• USDA-funded PRRSV transmission modeling (2018–2023)
• Foot-and-mouth disease studies in Uganda and Vietnam (2018–2022)
• Farm-level outbreak prediction systems for sow farms

Her research bridges animal health, data science, and transboundary disease preparedness, with publications in Nature Ecology & Evolution, Vaccines, and Transboundary and Emerging Diseases.