Ellie Timmins

IGC FELLOW    |   Global Change Center

Ph.D. Student  •  Biological Sciences

Advisor: Dr. Kate Langwig

Research Interests: Climate Change, Disease Ecology, Conservation

ellietimm@vt.edu • CV • Langwig Lab

Ellie is a PhD student in Kate Langwig’s lab in the Biological Sciences Department at Virginia Tech. They are interested in how changing climate affects disease systems, namely white-nose syndrome in bats. White-nose syndrome is caused by a temperature-constrained fungus. Their project focuses on how increasing temperatures will affect bat behavior, environmental reservoir of the fungus, and fungal growth on bats. Ellie plans to use a combination of climate and disease data to parameterize an integral projection model, which can be used to predict shifting disease dynamics in response to changing climates. This research will contribute to our understanding of how climate change affects wildlife disease, as well as inform conservation action.

Ellie graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a BS in Biology in spring 2024. At Penn State, Ellie fell in love with ecology and sought a variety of research experiences. They began by working in research labs focused on coral survival in the face of climate change. Specifically, they researched how hosting thermally tolerant symbiont affects fecundity in coral. Additionally, they conducted RNA extractions for a project aimed at detangling the genetic mechanisms of coral bleaching. Here, they developed analytical and lab skills, as well as experience in histology. Their honors thesis project took them to Brazil, where they studied how diversity in pioneer plant neighborhoods affect arthropod communities and the health of regrowing tropical forests. Understanding the factors contributing to a healthy regrowing forest is essential for conservation actions, particularly in tropical forests that have faced mass deforestation. With their honors project, Ellie developed skills in large-scale data collection and management, as well as deepened their understanding of statistical analysis.

Ellie’s passion for research that informs conservation and their curiosity towards complex ecological problems led them to pursue a PhD in Dr. Kate Langwig’s lab. Through the IGC program, Ellie looks forward to strengthening their community outreach and interdisciplinary research skills. Additionally, they hope to make broader impacts with their research by learning how to develop effective relationships between scientists and policymakers. In the future, they hope to continue informing conservation efforts by becoming a research professor, focusing on how rapidly changing climates alter natural systems.