Professor, Medical Geography
Principal Investigator, Emerging Pathogens Institute
Co-Director, Florida Climate Institute at UF
Affiliate Faculty: SNRE Program, African Studies, Environmental and Global Health (EGH), Latin American Studies (LATAM), Water Institute
Research Lab: Quantitative Disease Ecology & Conservation Lab (QDEC Lab)
OrcID: 0000-0002-4308-6321
We work on medical geography and ecology at the human interface, its implications for disease, conservation, sustainability, and wildlife management. Our research currently focuses on climate-health issues, modeling vector borne diseases, geospatial models for intervention, and quantifying social-ecological risk of disease emergence and exposure in a changing world.
Our interdisciplinary work incorporates tools from medical geography, quantitative and applied ecology, and the social sciences. We use techniques from the lab to the field to the computer to the white board. We play well with others, and welcome collaborations.
Be Kind, and do Good Science.
Focus Areas
Areas of Specialization
- Medical Geography
- Disease Ecology
- Tropical conservation
- Human-wildlife interface
- Geospatial models
Educational Background
- PhD in Environmental Science, Policy and Management (ESPM), University of California at Berkeley, 2006
- B.A. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB), Princeton University, 1998
Current Lab Members and Collaborators
- Anna Shannin (Undergraduate Researcher)
- Ava Johnson (Undergraduate Researcher)
- Neha Senthilkumar (Undergraduate Researcher)
- Jakob Meredith, (EGH rotation)
- Samantha Sambado, Ph.D. (Postdoctoral Researcher, Stanford)
Graduate Students Alums
- Simrik Bhandari (M.S., 2025, UF) Now: PhD Track, U Wisconsin
- Dr. Shreejana Bhattarai (Ph.D. 2023, UF) Now: Postdoctoral Researcher, UCF
- Dr. Stephanie Mundis (Ph.D. 2021, UF) Now: Health Researcher, Illinois
- Dr. Cat Lippi (Ph.D. 2021, UF) Now: Postdoctoral Researcher, Virginia Tech
- James Martin (M.S. 2019, UF) Now: GIS Researcher, Pursuing CompSci MS, UF
- Emily Gavard (M.S. 2017, SUNY-ESF)
- Tess Youker (M.S. 2016, SUNY-ESF)
- Rebecca Fuda (M.S., 2015, SUNY-ESF)
- Andrea Thomen (M.S., 2014, SUNY-ESF)
- Lindsey Scales (M.P.S., 2014, SUNY-ESF)
Postdoctoral Alums
- Dr. Cat Lippi, Postdoctoral Associate, Medical Geography, UF (2021-2024)
- Dr. Alexis (Lexi) White, Postdoctoral Associate, Medical Geography, UF (2019-2020)
- Dr. Rachel Sippy, Postdoctoral Associate (2018-2020), Medical Geography, UF, SUNY Upstate Medical University
- Dr. Gabriela Hamerlinck, Postdoctoral Associate, Geography, UF (2018-2019)
- Dr. Philipp Boersch-Supan, Postdoctoral Associate, Geography, UF (2016-2018)
- Dr. Luis Escobar, (Postdoc, 2013-2014, SUNY-UMU)
Undergraduate Alums
- Tracy Lin
- Breanna Blackwood
- Julia Tootle
- Emily Peterson
- Emily Stone
- Kimberlie Vera
- Julia Bellot
- Anna Lavrentieva
- Taylor Rouviere
- Stephen MacKay
- Katie Walker
Other Alumns
- Veronique Etienne, Ph.D. (Researcher)
- Timothy Kong (High School Experience)
- Aspen Singh (High School Experience)
Recent Publications
- An up to date list of Dr. Ryan’s publications is available on the QDEC Lab Website(opens in new tab).