Pandemic Center

Edyth Parker is a postdoctoral associate, with a shared appointment between the Andersen Lab at Scripps Research, USA, and the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID) at Redeemer’s University, Nigeria. Her current work focuses on the genomic epidemiology of a range of emerging zoonotic pathogens, leveraging her expertise in viral evolution and Bayesian phylodynamics. Her current projects include investigations of the emergence of  Mpox in West and Central Africa, Lassa virus population dynamics in the reservoir host, and the spatiotemporal spread of Hantavirus in Chile. She completed her doctorate at the University of Cambridge, UK, where her research focused on the ecology and evolution of emerging avian influenza viruses. Her primary interests center on the role of pathogen genomic surveillance in pandemic preparedness, and African science in global health equity. She was an Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Fellow with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in 2023. Dr. Parker previously received her MPhil in Epidemiology from the University of Cambridge, UK, her BMedSci Hon in Infectious Disease and Immunology from the University of Cape Town, RSA, and a BSc in Biotechnology from the University of the Western Cape, RSA.