Dr. Andrew Read

Dr. Andrew Read serves as Evan Pugh Professor of Biology and Entomology, Eberly Professor in Biotechnology, and Director of Penn State's Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics. His groundbreaking research focuses on understanding how pathogens evolve in response to medical and agricultural interventions. After receiving his PhD from the University of Oxford and early training at the University of Otago, New Zealand, he has earned numerous prestigious honors including fellowships in the Royal Society (FRS), the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Academy of Microbiology. His research explores critical questions in evolutionary biology and infectious disease, including pathogen virulence evolution, host-parasite interactions, and the development of evolution-proof medical interventions. His work spans multiple areas, from studying malaria parasites and vaccine resistance in poultry to investigating antibiotic resistance in hospitals. As lead instructor for the Coursera course "Epidemics - the Dynamics of Infectious Diseases," he shares his expertise in pathogen evolution and disease dynamics with a global audience. His innovative research has revealed crucial insights into how medical interventions affect pathogen evolution, contributing to the development of more effective disease control strategies and challenging conventional approaches to vaccine and drug development