Distinguished Research Professor 2025

Sonia Altizer, Martha Odum Distinguished Professor in the Odum School of Ecology, is a global leader in infectious disease ecology. Her research explores how host behavior, environmental change, and migration patterns shape pathogen dynamics in wildlife populations. She is best known for pioneering work on monarch butterflies, demonstrating how long-distance migration reduces infection risk through migratory escape and culling, reshaping ecological understanding of host-pathogen interactions. Altizer’s interdisciplinary approach integrates field studies, citizen science, and mathematical modeling, revealing how climate change, resource provisioning, and habitat fragmentation influence disease spread. With over 120 peer-reviewed publications, including in Science and Nature, her research has been cited more than 22,000 times. She has received continuous NSF funding since 2002 and secured over $7 million in grants. A Fellow of the Ecological Society of America and American Association for the Advancement of Science, Altizer has also served as interim dean of the Odum School and leads impactful outreach through Project Monarch Health, engaging volunteers in large-scale disease monitoring.