Ellie Timmins

IGC FELLOW | Global Change Center

Ph.D. Student • Biological Sciences

Research Interests: Climate Change, Disease Ecology, Conservation

ellietimm@vt.edu • Google Scholar • LinkedIn Profile

Ellie is a Ph.D. student in Kate Langwig’s lab in the Biological Sciences Department at Virginia Tech. Their research focuses on climate as an environmental driver of disease. Using long-term datasets from the white-nose syndrome system, they investigate how climate shapes host, pathogen, and host-pathogen coevolution. Ellie contributes to the ongoing collection of these data in hibernacula sites throughout the Midwest in New York, made possible through collaboration with Dr. Kate Langwig, Dr. Joseph Hoyt, and the Department of Natural Resources. They have also expanded their analyses to include data from a collaborating biologist in Mississippi, where climate may determine pathogen invasion dynamics at the southern range edge of white-nose syndrome. As wildlife populations face rapid environmental change and globalization increases the opportunity for pathogen invasion, understanding the response of host and pathogen to the environment is critical for informing effective conservation action.

Ellie graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a B.S. in Biology in spring 2024. At Penn State, they developed a strong interest in ecology and pursued a variety of research experiences exploring ecological systems' response to disturbance. They first worked on projects examining coral responses to climate change, including how thermally tolerant symbionts influence coral survival and the genetic mechanisms underlying coral bleaching. Through this work, Ellie gained experience in laboratory techniques, histology, and data analysis. Additionally, one of their projects contributed to a publication in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

They later developed an honors thesis investigating how pioneer plant species diversity in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest influences arthropod communities. Conducting field research in Paranapanema, Brazil, Ellie studied arthropod communities in plots representing regrowing tropical forests post-agricultural disturbance. This project strengthened their skills in large-scale field data collection, data management, and statistical analysis.

Ellie is excited to be a part of the IGC community as a way to develop their community outreach and interdisciplinary research skills. Additionally, they hope to make broader impacts with their research by building positive relationships between scientists and policymakers. In the future, Ellie hopes to use these skills to develop a research program that investigates complex ecological systems and translates scientific insights into real world changes.