ACADEMIC

PREPARATION

PhD, Biology                                                                          expected May 2012

University of Virginia, Graduate Arts and Sciences      Charlottesville, VA

Dissertation: “Determinants of pathogen distribution in natural populations”

Advisor: Janis Antonovics

MS, Biology                                                                            May 2007

University of Virginia, Graduate Arts and Sciences       Charlottesville, VA

Thesis: “Evolution of suppressed recombination in sex chromosomes of  Microbotryum”

Advisors: Janis Antonovics, Michael E. Hood

BS, Biology (Second Major: Italian)                                       May 2003

University of Virginia, Arts and Sciences Charlottesville, VA

PUBLICATIONS

            Antonovics J, Boots M, Abbate J, Baker C, McFrederick Q, Panjeti V. 2011. Biology and evolution of sexual        

            transmission. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1230: 12-24.

Abbate JL, Hood ME. 2010. Dynamic linkage relationships to the mating-type locus in automictic fungi of the genus Microbotryum. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 23: 1800-1805.

Antonovics J, Abbate JL, Baker CH, Daley D, Hood ME, Jenkins CE, Johnson LJ, Murray JJ, Panjeti V, Rudolf VHW, Sloan D, Vondrasek J. 2007. Evolution by any other name: antibiotic resistance and avoidance of the e-word. PLOS Biology 5(2): e30.

Abbate J, Lacayo JC, Prichard M, Pari G, and McVoy MA. 2001. Bifunctional protein conferring enhanced green fluorescence and puromycin resistance. Biotechniques 31:336-340.

PUBLICATIONS

IN PREPARATION

Abbate JL. The effect of temperature on anther-smut disease expression in Silene vulgaris. In Prep.

Abbate JL, et al. Anther-smut disease on Silene vulgaris restricted to high elevations. In Prep.

POSTERS,

PRESENTATIONS & CONFERENCES

European Society for Evolutionary Biology, Torino (Italy)                            August 2009

12th Congress

Poster:  Jessica L. Abbate “Ecological and Evolutionary Determinants of Disease

Distribution in a Natural Host-Pathogen System.”

Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease, UGA, Athens (GA)                May 2009

7th Annual Meeting

Poster 1: Jessica L. Abbate “Ecological and evolutionary determinants of disease

distribution in a natural host-pathogen system.”

Poster 2: Christopher E. Winstead-Derlega, Jessica L. Abbate “Co-infection of Silene-vulgaris by sympatric species of anther-smut.”     

Public Defense of Master’s Thesis                                                                May 2006

Presentation:  Jessica L. Abbate  “Evolution of Suppressed Recombination in Sex  Chromosomes of Microbotryum.”

European Society for Evolutionary Biology, Krakow (Poland)                        Aug 2005

10th Congress

Poster:  Jessica L. Abbate, Micheal E. Hood  “Evolution of Suppressed

Recombination in Sex Chromosomes of Microbotryum.”

Wildlife Disease Course, Mountain Lake Biological Station (VA)                    Jun 2005

Presentation:  Jessica L. Abbate  “Melanism response to Ophryocystis elektroscirrha infection in Monarch larvae.”

First Year Rotation Talk, Antonovics Lab, UVA                                                May 2005

Presentation:  Jessica L. Abbate  “Evolution of suppressed recombination in sex

chromosomes of Microbotryum.”

First Year Rotation Talk, Taylor Lab, UVA                                                        Dec 2004

Presentation:  Jessica L. Abbate “Does disease prevalence reflect isolation

between host populations along an altitudinal gradient? Anther smut on Silene vulgaris in the Alps.”

Evolution Conference , CSU (Fort Collins, CO)                                                Jun 2004

Poster:  Michael E. Hood and Jessica L. Abbate “Phylogenetic reconstruction of fungal sex-chromosome evolution in Microbotryum.”

Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease (Emory, GA)                                May 2004

AWARDS

NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant                                June 2009

Graduate Teaching Assistant Award                                                Feb 2009

Sigma Xi Grants-In-Aid-of-Research                                                May 2007

UVA Biology First Year PhD Fellowship                                           Aug 2004

RECENT

COLLABORATORS

David Aeschimann       (Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève, CH)

Marco Andrello             (Université Joseph Fourier, FR)

Serge Aubert                (Université Joseph Fourier, FR),

Christine H. Baker        (UVA)

Benjamin Devier          (Université de Paris-Sud, France)

Rolland Douzet            (Université Joseph Fourier, France)

Tatiana Giraud             (Université de Paris-Sud, France)

Michael E. Hood          (Amherst College)

Stephen Keller             (UVA)

Yamama Naciri            (Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques de la Ville de Genève, CH)

UDERGRADUATE

RESEARCH ADVISEES

Kerri Coon                                        (2009-present)

Christopher Winstead-Derlega         (2008-present)

Alia El-Kadi                                       (2008)

D. Harrison Thrift                              (2007)

Ashlee Aldridge                                (2007-2008)

Becky Hoke                                     (2007)

Houriya Mahboobi                            (2007)

A. Christine Cordero                         (2005)

TEACHING

& RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

UVA Teaching Assistant – Discussion Leader                                        Spring 2008-2010

BIOL 3090 “Biology of Infectious Disease”

UVA Teaching Assistant – Review Lecturer                                            Fall 2009

BIOL 2010 “Introduction to Biology: Cell/Molecular”

UVA Teaching Assistant – Laboratory Instructor                                     Fall 2005-2007

BIOL 203, 204 “Introduction to Biology Laboratory”

Evolutionary Biology Laboratory Rotation, UVA                                      Fall 2004

Douglas Taylor, PhD./S.Keller – UVA Biol. Dept.

•First Year Rotation: AFLP analysis on population structure in Silene vulgaris (host to M.violaceum) samples along elevational gradients in the Alps.

Disease Biology Laboratory, UVA                                                            Aug 2002 – Aug 2004

Janis Antonovics, PhD./ A.B.Pedersen/ M.E.Hood – UVA Biol. Dept.

•Field Biology: parasite study in wild mice at Mt. Lake Biol. Station.

•Independent Study: Parasite competition study in Peromyscus.

•Laboratory and Research Technician I Position: Developed nuclear and mitochondrial phylogenies of Mycobotrium on diverse host species from around the world to detect pathogen host-shifts. 

Microbiology Laboratory, UVA                                                                Jan 2001 – Aug 2001

Dr. Gary Kupfer, UVA Microbiology

•Microbiology/Cancer Biology Laboratory Research Assistant. Synthesized RNA and protein through PCR and IVT for µInjection of Xenopus oocytes to determine localization of Fanc and Tax proteins.

Thaler Research Center, UVA                                                                Jun 2000 – Dec 2000

Dr. Oliver J. Semmes, UVA Microbiology          

•Microbiology Laboratory Research Assistant (Independent Study). Developed an Inducible yeast system for testing the effects of different treatments on the function of the Tax protein in HTLV-1.

Medical College of Virginia, VCU (Richmond, VA)                                Jul 1998 – Jun 1999  

Dr. Michael McVoy, MCV Microbiology

•Mentorship experience for High School Senior Project, Microbiology Lab Independent Study. Developed a screenable/selectable marker for use primarily with the HCMV studies being conducted. See publications.