My research has traditionally used Drosophila fruit flies, including non-model species, to study questions of innate immunity and immune evolution. This has been done using a diversity of microbial pathogens including bacteria, fungi, and viruses. I have previously specialized in clarifying the logic of the host antimicrobial peptide response, an innate immune defence mechanism common across plants and animals. Relevant topic expertise includes immunity including insect and arthropod immunity, host-pathogen interactions, and the regulation of the host microbiome.