I am a postdoctoral fellow interested in the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases. My research aims to better understand drivers of the remarkable variation we see in host-pathogen systems, and how to best control infectious diseases in the face of that variation. I have worked on emergent pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2, long-established pathogens such as malaria parasites (genus Plasmodium) and Toxoplasma. Much of my work has focused on disease ecology and epidemiology in Madagascar. 

Please don't hesitate to reach out to discuss and new collaborations are always welcome (email: b.rice@princeton.edu)

I was born in Denver, Colorado, and attended Arizona State University for college / undergrad. I remain a proud Sun Devil alum (as well as a Rockies, Nuggets,  Broncos, and green chile fan).

For my undergraduate studies, I majored in microbiology with a minor in global health, graduating in 2012. I had the good fortune to work in the lab of Ananias Escalante and Maria Andreina Pacheco Delgado, which launched a fascination with parasites that continues to this day. Additional good fortune, which left a lasting impression, was getting the chance to study alongside a diverse student body and see representation in my Latino/a mentors. This launched a continuing engagement with efforts to improve representation in the sciences.

For graduate school, I was mentored by Dan Hartl in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and co-advised by Chris Golden at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. My dissertation focused on the ecology and evolution of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Madagascar. Better understanding the forces shaping trends in the parasites of human and wildlife hosts remains a research passion.

I am currently a postdoc in the lab of Jess Metcalf in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton. Please see the Projects tab for more about current research topics.