Jeffrey Townsend, PhD
Biography
Research & Publications
News
Locations
Appointments
Biography
Professor Townsend received his Ph.D. in 2002 in organismic and evolutionary biology from Harvard University, under the advisement of Daniel Hartl. His Ph.D. was entitled "Population genetic variation in genome-wide gene expression: modeling, measurement, and analysis", and constituted the first population genetic analysis of genome-wide gene expression variation. After making use of the model budding yeast S. cerevisiae for his Ph.D. research, Dr. Townsend accepted an appointment as a Miller Fellow at the University of California-Berkeley in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, where he worked to develop molecular tools, techniques, and analysis methodologies for functional genomics studies with the filamentous fungal model species Neurospora crassa, co-advised by Berkeley fungal evolutionary biologist John Taylor and molecular mycologist Louise Glass. In 2004, he accepted his first appointment as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Connecticut. In 2006 he was appointed as an Assistant Professor the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University. In 2013 he began to work on statistical approaches to fit mathematical models of disease spread and emergence, and to work on the somatic evolution of cancer, and was appointed as an Associate Professor of Biostatistics and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, in 2017 he was named Elihu Associate Professor of Biostatistics and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, and in 2018 he was appointed Elihu Professor of Biostatistics and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology.
Education & Training
- Miller Postdoctoral FellwUniversity of California, Berkeley (2004)
- PhDHarvard University, Organismic & Evolutionary Biology (2002)
- ScBBrown University, Biology (1994)
Activities
- Ebolavirus sequence analysis and epidemic modelingFreetown, Sierra Leone (2014-2015)Using Ebolavirus genomic and epidemiological data, we are conducting joint analyses of both data types to fit dynamic transmission models for the major Ebolavirus outbreak in Sierra Leone. Our analysis evaluates the degree of underreporting of disease cases, and the degree of social clustering of transmission, important epidemiological parameters that can bias medical demand forecasts.
- YawsBrazzaville, Republic of the Congo 2012Dynamic mathematical modeling predicting treatment necessary for eradication of Yaws
- Human HookwormZanzibar, Tanzania 2011Dynamic mathematical modeling evaluating the efficacy of treatment of Human Hookworm Infection
- Antibiotic resistanceTromso, Norway (2010-2020)Evaluate trace antibiotics in the environment as an environmental toxin
Honors & Recognition
Award | Awarding Organization | Date |
---|---|---|
Translational Research Prize | Yale Cancer Center | 2017 |
Young Investigator's Prize | American Society of Naturalists | 2005 |
Ph.D. Thesis ranked among the Top Four Life Science Theses | Council of Graduate Schools | 2002 |
Walter M. Fitch Prize for Best Young Investigator | Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution | 2001 |
Professional Service
Organization | Role | Date |
---|---|---|
Yale College Road Runners | Advisor | 2008 - Present |
Departments & Organizations
- Biostatistics
- Center for Biomedical Data Science
- Center for Medical Informatics
- Climate Change and Health
- Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
- Genomics, Genetics, and Epigenetics
- Microbiology
- Public Health Modeling
- Townsend Lab
- Yale Cancer Center
- Yale Center for Immuno-Oncology
- Yale Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS)
- Yale School of Public Health
- Yale University