Research Interests

Postdoctoral research: Epidemiology and transmission dynamics of respiratory viruses

Ongoing Research:

• The effects of population behavior, masking, and COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical interventions on the transmission dynamics of endemic respiratory viruses and SARS-CoV-2 in Seattle, Washington, with Cécile Viboud (NIH) as part of the Seattle Flu Alliance
• The impact of antigenic drift on seasonal influenza epidemics and vaccine effectiveness, with Cécile Viboud (NIH) and Trevor Bedford’s group (Fred Hutch)
• Long-term scenario projections and short-term forecasts of influenza hospitalizations in the United States: Flu Scenario Modeling Hub and CDC FluSight Forecasting Collaboration

Past Post-Doctoral Research Projects:

• The direct and indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on private healthcare utilization in South Africa, with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD)
• Utilizing excess respiratory encounters at hospitals, emergency departments, and primary care providers to monitor COVID-19 and RSV activity in South Africa, with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD). Reports
• Short-term forecasts of COVID-19 and influenza-like illness (ILI) cases on United States military bases: DoD Influenza Forecasting Challenge and DoD COVID+ILI forecasting collaboration (2019-2022)
• Influenza transmission dynamics among exhibition swine in the United States Midwest, with Martha Nelson (NIH) and Andrew Bowman’s group (Ohio State)

PhD Research: Ecological, Evolutionary, and Behavioral Determinants of Gut Microbiome Composition in Wild Lemurs

At UT-Austin, I studied how contact networks and proximity to other host species influence gut microbiome composition in wild lemurs. This research focused on a population of wild Verreaux’s sifaka in Kirindy Mitea National Park, Madagascar and was conducted as part of The Sifaka Research Project, a long-term research study in Kirindy Mitea.

Left: Amanda Perofsky holding a sedated sifaka during the Sifaka Research Project’s annual capture in 2016. Right: Sifaka grooming at Ankoatsifaka Research Station in Kirindy Mitea National Park.

Predoctoral Research

I graduated from the University of Georgia in 2009 with degrees in Biology and Ecology. My undergraduate research focused on salamander ecology and population modeling (Maerz Lab, University of Georgia). After graduating, I worked as a research assistant in the Park Lab (University of Georgia) investigating the environmental drivers of hemorrhagic disease outbreaks in white-tailed deer. As a National Institutes of Health post-baccalaureate fellow, I characterized viral profiles unique to Sjögren’s Syndrome (Adeno-Associated Virus Biology Section, MPTB, NIDCR).