I am an evolutionary ecologist interested in the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of host-parasite interactions. Currently I work with Dr. Josephine Pemberton at the University of Edinburgh studying how the local environment and parasites affect the social and spatial dynamics of red deer on the Isle of Rum. For my first postdoc I worked with Dr. Hadas Hawlena at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev studying the ecological drivers of the infection dynamics of Bartonella in gerbils.
For my Ph.D. I worked with Dr. Adam Siepielski at the University of Arkansas to understand host-parasite interactions within food webs. I completed my M.Sc. at the University of Bremen and conducted my master’s research on morph differences in larval survival at Lund University with Dr. Erik Svensson. As an undergraduate I worked with Dr. Carl Gerhardt at the University of Missouri on a project examining the effects of anthropogenic noise on anuran communication.
My research focuses on examining 1) how parasitism drives variation in species interactions within food webs, 2) how hosts influence parasite evolution, 3) how parasites influence host evolution, 4) how coinfection by multiple parasites varies across environmental gradients and 4) how host immune defenses vary across environmental gradients (and the possible indirect effects on parasitism). I currently work with red deer (Cervus elaphus) and their many parasites. During my first postdoc I studied gerbil hosts (Gerbillus spp.) and their Bartonella parasites. For my PhD I worked with a host-parasite system consisting of odonates (dragonflies and damselflies, the hosts) their ectoparasitic water mites (Arrenurus spp.), and their endoparasitic gregarines.
Though I have focused on specific-systems for my previous work, I am a question-driven researcher and open to collaborations on a variety of disease ecology, community ecology, and evolutionary ecology related questions. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have ideas!
Email: adamzhasik@gmail.com
Blog: Ecology for the Masses – Making ecological science accessible
Adam Hasik 