An Associate Professor in Parasite Biology, Kayla is interested in fundamental problems in evolutionary biology such as What drives rapid evolution? What are the benefits of sex? Why is genetic diversity so high in natural populations? She investigates these questions by studying the complex interactions between parasites and hosts, and the ecological and genetic aspects of rapid (co)evolution.
On winning the award, Kayla said: "I love being a scientist! So, it is a great honour to have my work recognised with this prestigious prize."
Each prize winner is awarded £100,000 to contribute towards their continued research."We must re-think our relationship with the innumerable microbes we host: they can rapidly change in ways that harm or benefit us," said Kayla. "This funding will help me study the evolutionary biology underlying these divergent outcomes."
