معرفی
Sebastian Stockmaier is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He holds affiliations within the College of Arts and Sciences and is part of the university's research and outreach initiatives in ecological and evolutionary studies.
Stockmaier earned an M.Sc. from Universität Konstanz and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on disease ecology, animal sociality, and behavioral ecology, particularly investigating how pathogens influence animal behavior and transmission dynamics. Key questions include the social costs/benefits of sickness behaviors, pathogen manipulation of host behavior, and cross-species transmission mechanisms.
His work employs wild vampire bats as a primary model system, utilizing proximity-sensing technology to track social interactions and behavioral changes under infection. Recent studies have explored rabies infection effects, immune-challenge responses, and social distancing behaviors in natural populations.
Stockmaier's publications span interdisciplinary topics in ecology and immunology, with contributions to journals like Science, Biology Letters, and Behavioral Ecology. His research bridges theoretical epidemiology with empirical fieldwork, emphasizing the ecological consequences of animal social behavior in disease contexts.
