I started as a PhD student in Dr. Luong’s lab in Fall 2024. Before coming to the U of A, I got my BSc at the University of Lethbridge, where I did a research project in my final year surveying dung beetle parasites, then went to the University of Manitoba for my MSc researching temporal and environmental influences on brainworm (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis) transmission from gastropods to moose. I joined the Luong lab because I wanted to continue researching parasites. Using the Drosophila nigrospiracula–Macrocheles subbadius system, I aim to investigate how parasite exposure may cause hosts to alter their social behaviour. Overall, my research concerns the influence of parasite exposure on host mating behaviour, the communication of elevated infection risk between exposed and naïve hosts, and how hosts perceive infection risk when around other conspecifics.
Contact info: scmann1_at_ualberta.ca