Tierra Smiley Evans

Tierra Smiley Evans is an Assistant Professor of Emerging Zoonoses at the University of California, Davis, with a joint appointment in the Department of Integrative Biology within the School of Public Health. Her research focuses on the intersection of anthropogenic forest change, biodiversity loss, and zoonotic virus ecology.

• PhD in Infectious Disease Epidemiology
• DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine)
• BS in Combined Sciences

The Smiley Lab investigates how human-driven forest modifications influence disease spillover patterns at forest edges, with implications for both human and wildlife health. Her work emphasizes global forest change, pathogen transmission dynamics, and strengthening scientific capacity in low- and middle-income countries. Research areas include zoonotic disease emergence, wildlife conservation, and primatology.