Dr Karolina Przesmycka

I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow investigating the ecological and evolutionary processes that maintain immunogenetic polymorphisms linked to resistance and susceptibility to infections in wild populations of bank voles. I seek to understand how host–parasite–microbiome interactions shape immune diversity and influence disease outcomes in natural systems.

My main interests lie in the evolution of the vertebrate immune system, host–parasite coevolution, and sexual selection. My PhD research focused on sexual selection in Trinidadian guppies, where I examined the genetic predictors and fitness consequences of male attractiveness. I also contributed to several projects on host–parasite coevolution, which sparked my continuing interest in health and disease ecology.

Much of my research integrates fieldwork with molecular techniques and genetic analyses to address questions in evolutionary ecology.