Dr. James S. Adelman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Memphis. His research focuses on the intersection of disease ecology, immunology, and animal behavior, particularly in wild songbirds. He investigates individual variation in immune and behavioral responses to infection and how this variation shapes pathogen transmission and evolution. Dr. Adelman received his B.S. in Biology from Duke University and his Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University. He completed his postdoctoral training in Biological Sciences at Virginia Tech. His research program integrates techniques from immunology, eco-physiology, and animal behavior to address fundamental questions at the interface of physiology and ecology. He is particularly interested in understanding why individuals vary in their responses to infection and how this variation affects disease dynamics at the population level. His work often focuses on house finches and their interactions with Mycoplasma gallisepticum , a bacterial pathogen that causes conjunctivitis in these birds. Dr. Adelman's publications reveal a strong focus on disease tolerance mechanisms, host-pathogen interactions, and the ecological and evolutionary implications of individual variation in disease responses. His recent work has examined how inflammation affects disease tolerance in songbirds, how disease affects foraging decisions, and how pathogen virulence relates to transmission dynamics. Disease Ecology Ecological Immunology and Physiology Animal Behavior Dr. Adelman has mentored numerous graduate and undergraduate students, many of whom are co-authors on his publications. His research has been supported by funding from the National Science Foundation including grant IOS-1054675, as well as funding from the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station and the Hatch Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
