Georgia Titcomb

Postdoctoral Scholar

1117 Noble Hall

University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA, 93106

Phone: (213) 274-6099

E-mail: georgiatitcomb@gmail.com
Website: georgiatitcomb.weebly.com

Disease and community ecologist studying parasites and pathogens in a changing world.

Education
2014 - 2020 University of California, Santa Barbara

2020 PhD in Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology

Thesis: The Role of Watering Holes as Hotspots of Disease Transmission in Changing
Climates
Advisor: Dr. Hillary Young
2020 Certificate in College and Undergraduate Teaching
2019 MA in Statistics
2018 MA in Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology

2010 - 2014 University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Undergraduate GPA 3.94

BS in Biology and BA in Studio Art with Highest Honors

Art Thesis: Untangling the Intangible: The folds of β-Amyloid
Minor in Chemistry
Highest Distinction
Honors Carolina, Dean's List all semesters

Professional Appointments
2020 - present Postdoctoral Scholar
NIH Grant: Land Use Change, Transmission Potential Networks and Disease
Spread in Madagascar
Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara
Advisors: Dr. Charlie Nunn (Duke University), Dr. Hillary Young (UCSB)

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Awards, Grants, and Honors________________________________
Total: $456,500
2021 Lancaster Dissertation Award: awarded biennially for methodological
and substantive contributions to the field across biological and life sciences $1,000
dissertations at UCSB
2019 UCSB Graduate Division Doctoral Fellowship: awarded to two
$8,000
graduate students in EEMB
2019 Environmental Data Initiative Fellow: awarded to nine fellows for
$5,000
improving data accessibility at field sites across the United States
2018 National Geographic Society Early Career Grant $5,000
2017, 2018 NSF REU Supplement Grant Co-author (x2) $16,000
2016 NSF Division of Environmental Biology Grant Co-author $119,000
2015 - 2020 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship $132,000
2014 - 2018 University of California Regents' Special Fellowship: awarded to
$50,000
outstanding incoming graduate students
2010 - 2014 Morehead-Cain Scholarship: full merit scholarship to UNC-CH $120,000
2014 Buckley Public Service Scholar: more than 300 hours of service and
service training at UNC
2014 Carolina Research Scholar: independent research and training
2013 Morehead-Cain Discovery Grant: to create art using electron microscopy $5,000
2013 Tom and Elizabeth Long Research Award: to support honors thesis
$500
work on artistic interpretations of protein folding
2013 I.R. Hagadorn Chancellor's Award in Biology: awarded to one
outstanding rising senior for academic achievement, excellence in research,
and contributions to the Biology department
2013 Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha of North Carolina

Publications______________________________________________
13. Kauffman, K.; Werner, C.; Titcomb, G.; Pender, M.; Rabezara, J.Y.; Herrera, J.P.; Shapiro,
J.T.; Solis, A.; Soarimalala, V.; Tortosa, P.; Kramer, R.; Moody, J.; Mucha, P.; Nunn, C.
Comparing transmission potential networks based on social network surveys, close
contacts and environmental overlap in rural Madagascar. J. R. Soc. Interface. 19,
20210690 (2022).
12. Titcomb, G.; Mantas, J.; Hulke, J.; Rodriguez, I. †; Branch, D. †; Young, H. Water sources
aggregate parasites with increasing effects in more arid conditions. Nature
Communications. 12, 7066 (2021). Press: Nature community, Science Daily

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11. Titcomb, G., Amooni, G., Mantas, J.N., Young, H.S. Savanna plant community
responses to herbivore aggregation at water sources vary across abiotic gradients.
Eco. Apps. 31, e02422 (2021). (Cover Article)
10. Titcomb, G. Climate-driven livestock management shifts and tick populations, in Nuttall,
P. (ed.) Climate, Ticks, and Disease. CABI Climate Change Series. (2021)
9. McElroy, M.E.; Dressler, T.L.; Titcomb, G.; Wilson, E.A.; Deiner, K.; Dudley, T.L.; Eliason,
E.J.; Evans, N.T.; Gaines, S.D.; Lafferty, K.D.; Lamberti, G.A.; Li, Y.; Lodge, D.M.;
Love, M.S.; Mahon, A.R.; Pfrender, M.E.; Renshaw, M.; Selkoe, K.A.; Jerde, C.L.
Calibrating environmental DNA metabarcoding to conventional surveys for
measuring fish species richness. Front. Ecol. Evol. 8, 276 (2020).
8. Buck, J.C.; Weinstein, S.B.; Titcomb, G.; Young, H.S. Conservation implications of disease
control. Front. Ecol. Environ. 18, 6 (2020).
7. Titcomb, G., Jerde, C.L. & Young, H.S. High-throughput sequencing for understanding
the ecology of emerging infectious diseases at the wildlife-human interface. Front.
Ecol. Evol. 7, 126 (2019).
6. Titcomb, G., Pringle, R.M., Palmer, T.M. & Young, H.S. What explains tick proliferation
following large-herbivore exclusion? Proc. R. Soc. B Biol. Sci. 285, 1878 (2018).
5. Hardesty-Moore, M.; Deinet, S.; Freeman, R.; Titcomb, G.; Dillon, E.; Stears, K.; Klope,
M.; Bui, A.; Orr, D.; Young, H.S.; Miller-ter Kuile, A.; Hughey, L.; McCauley, D.J.
Migration in the Anthropocene: how collective navigation, environmental system
and taxonomy shape the vulnerability of migratory species. Philos. Trans. R. Soc.
Lond. B. Biol. Sci. 373, 1746 (2018). Press: Phys.org, Science Daily

4. Titcomb, G.; Allen, B.; Ainsworth, T†; Henson, L.; Hedlund, T.; Pringle, R.; Palmer, T.;
Njoroge, L.; Campana, M.; Fleischer, R.; Mantas, J.; Young, H. Interacting effects of
wildlife loss and climate on ticks and tick-borne disease. Proc. R. Soc. B Biol. Sci. 284,
1862 (2017). Press: Scientific American, Daily Nexus, Phys.org, KCLU

3. Weinstein, S., Titcomb, G., Agwanda, B., Riginos, C. & Young, H. Parasite responses
to large mammal loss in an African savanna. Ecology 98, 7 (2017).
2. Kilpatrick, A.M., Salkeld, D.J., Titcomb, G. & Hahn, M.B. Conservation of biodiversity
as a strategy for improving human health and well-being. Philos. Trans. R. Soc.
London B Biol. Sci. 372, 1722 (2017).
1. Titcomb, G., Kikuchi, D.W. & Pfennig, D.W. More than mimicry? Evaluating scope
for flicker- fusion as a defensive strategy in coral snake mimics. Curr. Zool. 60, 1
(2014).

Book Review:
Forbes, E.; Miller-ter-Kuile, A.; Orr, D.; Titcomb, G. 2016. Navigating the cascades of
circumstance. Science. 352, 6289 (2016).
In review:
Titcomb, G.; Pansu, J.; Hutchinson, M.; Tombak, K.; Hansen, C.; Baker, C.; Kartzinel, T.;
Young, H.; Pringle, R. Exploring the large-herbivore nemabiome: identifying patterns
of parasite diversity and sharing.

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In preparation:
Titcomb, G.; Hulke, J.; Mantas, J.N.; Gituku, B.; Young, H. Cattle aggregations create potential
parasite transmission hotspots for wildlife. In preparation for Proceedings of the Royal
Society: B.
Martinez, V. †; Titcomb, G.; Mantas, J.N.; Hulke, J.; Gituku, B.; Thomson, A. †; Elkoulby, M. †;
Canto-Adams, J. †; Young, H. Temperature effects on mammal contacts at water
sources. In preparation for Biological Conservation.
†Undergraduate co-author

Presentations (first author)_____________________________________

Titcomb, G.; Pansu, J.; Hutchinson, M.; Tombak, K., Young, H. Metabarcoding reveals
parasite communities and their overlaps in large mammalian herbivores. ESA
Annual Meeting, Aug. 2020, Virtual Meeting (Poster).
Titcomb, G.; Hulke, J.; Mantas, J.N.; Young, H.S. Using citizen science and metabarcoding
to investigate herbivore parasite sharing at water sources in an East African
savanna. ESA Annual Meeting, Aug. 2019, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
(Presentation).
Titcomb, G. Harnessing high-throughput sequencing tools to catalogue and comprehend
host-parasite relationships. Pathogens Gone Global Grant Catalysis. Sep. 2019.
Duke University, USA (Presentation).
Titcomb, G.; Hulke, J.; Orens, A; Mantas, J.N.; Gituki, B.C.; Young, H.S. Parasite Safari:
Using citizen science to understand herbivore parasite exposure risk at East African
watering holes. The Western Section of the Wildlife Society Meeting, Feb. 2019,
Yosemite, California, USA. (Presentation)
Titcomb, G. Watering holes and disease transmission. George Mason University Field
Course Lecture. Aug. 2018. Mpala Research Centre, Laikipia, Kenya. (Presentation)
Titcomb, G. Are watering holes disease hotspots? Science Friday Lecture, Aug. 2018, Mpala
Research Centre, Laikipia, Kenya. (Presentation)
Titcomb, G.; Hulke, J.H.; Young, H.S. Watering holes as hotspots of parasite transmission in
changing climates. ESA Annual Meeting, Aug. 2017, Portland, Oregon, USA.
(Presentation)
Titcomb, G.; Hulke, J.H.; Young, H.S. Are Watering Holes Disease Hotspots? EEID Annual
Meeting, June 2017, Santa Barbara, CA, USA. (Presentation)
Titcomb, G.; Young, H.S.; Kays, R.; Agwanda, B; Helgen, K. Resurveying Mt. Kenya: Using
collections to study mammal and parasite responses to climate change. UCSB
Natural History Collections Club, Feb 2017. (Presentation)
Titcomb, G.; Young, H.S. Do watering holes concentrate parasites? Diving into the hotspots
of savanna life across seasons and climates. UCSB Graduate Student Symposium.
Feb 2017. (Presentation)
Titcomb, G.; Allan, B.F.; Ainsworth, T.; Young, H.S. Ticks in the UHURU experiment:
climate and wildlife loss change tick communities. Mpala Research Centre Tick

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 Day Laikipia, Kenya. Dec. 2015. (Presentation)

Workshops and Invited Panels_________________________

Instructor. Software Carpentry (Programming with R). Stonybrook University. Jan 12-
14 2022. (virtual)
Panel member, Careers in Ecology. EEMB 120: Introduction to Ecology. UC Santa
Barbara. 30 July 2021. (virtual)
Education and Outreach committee member, Open Science in Ecology and Evolution
unconference. Society for Open, Reliable, and Transparent Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology. 12 July 2021. (virtual)
Workshop assistant, Introduction to R for Ecologists. UC Santa Barbara. 1-2 April 2021.
(virtual)
Guest lecturer, Citizen Science Workshop. Brandeis University Library. 2 October 2019.
(virtual)
Workshop leader, Daraja Academy at Mpala Research Centre. Laikipia, Kenya.
23 September 2017.
Workshop leader, Mpala Conservation Club. Laikipia, Kenya. 27 September 2017.
Workshop organizer, Websites for Graduate Students. EEMB Graduate Student
Advisory Committee. 13 February 2017.
Workshop facilitator, Parasites in museum collections. National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi,
Kenya. 6-7 October 2016.
Panel member, Navigating Graduate School. EEMB 510: Professional Development for
Graduate Students. UC Santa Barbara. 2 May 2016.

Formal Teaching and Mentorship___________________________

2021 - Summer UCSB Research Mentorship Program (RMP) Mentor

2019/2020 - Winter Instructor of Record

EEMB 146: Biometry
• Adapted curriculum, course policies for inclusivity and accessibility
• Wrote lectures and navigated transition to online learning
2019 - Summer Teaching Assistant
EEMB 40: The Ecology of Infectious Disease
2018 - Spring Teaching Assistant
EEMB 175/275: Advanced Biostatistics
EEMB 175L/275L: Advanced Biostatistics Lab
2018 NSF REU Mentor
Mentee: Valerie Lensch

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 Project: eDNA detection of parasites and pathogens in watering holes

2017 NSF REU Mentor

Mentee: Ivan Rodriguez
Project: Larval parasite density at watering holes in Kenya
2014 Biology Tutor, UNC Peer Tutoring Program
BIOL 252: Fundamentals of Human Anatomy and Physiology
2012- 2014 Resident Advisor and Resident Advisor Mentor, UNC Housing
Mentored 14 RAs serving 300+ undergraduate students

Undergraduate Mentorship________________________________
Name Period Current Position
Garima Sehgal 2021-present UCSB undergraduate
Malik Elkouby 2020-present Research Assistant at CCBER
Viviana Martinez 2020-2021 Agriculture and Nutrition Educator at SEEAG
Serena Yeh 2021 Student, BASIS Independent School
Adam VanLeeuwen 2021 Student, Ventura High School
Asher Thompson 2020-2021 UC Berkeley undergraduate
Joelle Canto-Adams 2020-2021 UCSB undergraduate
Shaun Sidhu 2019 St. George's University Medical School student
Valerie Lensch 2018-2019 MIT graduate student
Emme Bartlett 2018 Veterinary assistant
Ivan Rodriguez 2017-2018 Research Associate at Firmenich
Amanda Orens 2017 Supervisor at the Sloth Institute, Costa Rica
Edward Trout 2016 Boise State graduate student
Lisa Li 2016 Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc.
Douglas Branch 2014-2015 The University of the West of England graduate student
Michelle Long 2015 Grants manager at Cambridge Women's Center, MA
Tyler Ainsworth 2014-2015 Biologist at Stantec, CA

Additional Research and Training Experience________________

2019 - Summer Sagehen Creek Field Station, UC Berkeley
Supervisor: Faerthen Felix and Jeff Brown
Activities: Developed and implemented data management protocols,
published data packages

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2018 - Spring Princeton University
Supervisor: Dr. Robert Pringle
Activities: Parasite qPCR and metabarcoding in herbivores across Africa
2017 - Summer Princeton University
Supervisor: Dr. Robert Pringle
Activities: Parasite metabarcoding in herbivores in Kenya
2015 – Fall Mt. Kenya National Park
Project: 100-year Re-Survey of Mammalian Biodiversity in Laikipia and
Surrounding Areas
Activities: Small mammal parasitology, camera trapping along an
elevational gradient on Mt. Kenya
2015 – Summer Duke University
Supervisor: Dr. Charles Nunn
Activities: Developed agent-based models of ticks, hosts, and pathogens
2014 University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Supervisor: Dr. David Pfennig
Activities: Tested relationship between snake movement and flicker-
fusion patterning

Curated Data Packages____________________________________

5. Titcomb, G. 2021. Plant community data at water sources, Mpala Research
Centre, Kenya (2015-2017). Environmental Data Initiative.
4. Gard, R. & M. Yoder-Williams. 2019. Calhoun Lines small mammal trapping transect data
from UC Berkeley - Sagehen Creek Field Station, CA between 1950 & 1989.
Environmental Data Initiative.
3. Needham, P.R., R. Gard, and A.S. Leopold. 2019. Sagehen Creek Creel Census, 1953-1961.
Environmental Data Initiative.
2. Sayler, D. and G.C. Titcomb. 2019. Temperature and Relative Humidity Time Series across
60 forest plots at Sagehen Creek Field Station, 2016-2019. Environmental Data
Initiative.
1. Sayler, D. 2019. Photographic documentation of forestry treatments of 77 forest plots at
Sagehen Creek Field Station, 2016-2019. Environmental Data Initiative.

Service, Outreach, and Organizations________________________

Reviewer for:
PLoS one (2) ♦ Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ♦ Ecology (3) ♦ Proceedings of the

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 Royal Society: B ♦ Environment International (2) ♦ PeerJ (2) ♦ Journal of Wildlife Diseases (2) ♦
Biological Reviews ♦ Biological Conservation (2)

2021 - present Certified Software, Data, and Library Carpentries Instructor

2020 - present Member, Education Committee for SORTEE: Society for Open, Reliable,
and Transparent Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
2020 - present Member, UCSB EEMB Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Wellness
committee
2019 - present Volunteer scientist and speaker, Skype a Scientist (11 sessions)
 Soaring Heights Elem., Joplin, MO (Grade 1). 27 Oct 2021
 Rocky View Schools, Alberta, Canada (Grade 2). 21 Jun 21
 Allen Independent Schools, Allen, TX (Grade 3). 23 Mar 21
 Lauralton Hall, Milford, CT (Grades 9-12). 20 Jan 21
 Girl Scouts: Greater Iowa, Urbandale, IA (Grades K-5). 17 Jun 20
 Global English School, Minas Gerais, Brazil (Adult). 14 May 20
 Westwood Charter, Los Angeles, CA (Grades 4 & 5). 30 Apr 20
 Agua Caliente Elem., Cathedral City, CA (Gr. 6) x2. 29 Apr 20
 Girl Scouts of Central IN, Indianapolis, IN (Grade 3). 22 Apr 20
 Sycamore Rocks Elem., Apple Valley, CA (Grade 5). 10 Jan 20
2019 - present Program Facilitator, Girls Who Code
2016 – present Morehead-Cain Alumni Reviewer
2017 – 2018 Graduate Representative for UCSB faculty search committee
2016 – 2018 Treasurer, UCSB EEMB Graduate Student Advisory Committee
2014 - 2015 UCSB Graduate Student Association Representative

Camera Trapping Projects:

Is dung a resource for mesocarnivores? – Wildlife Insights. 2020 - present. Contributing and
tagging 1 million+ photographs to train a Google-powered AI for camera trap data.
Parasite Safari – Zooniverse. 2017 - 2020. Engaged nearly 10,000 citizen scientists who assisted
in identifying large mammals in 700,000+ photographs at Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya.
Sagehen Mammal Quest – Zooniverse. 2019 - 2020. Engaged 600+ citizen scientists who
assisted in identifying California wildlife at Sagehen Creek Field Station.
Data contributor to Giraffe Spotter – Giraffe Conservation Foundation. 2017. Contributed data
to ongoing census at Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya.

Art and Science _

Invited Artist, Evolution exhibition, Art.Science.Gallery, Austin, TX (2016)
Invited Artist, Microcosm exhibition, The Greenhill Gallery, NC (2015)
Artist, Habitual Action exhibition, The John & June Allcott Gallery, NC (2014)

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Artist, Rogue exhibition, 1796 Gallery, NC (2014)
Artist, CHANL Scientific Art Competition, UNC (2013-2014)
Co-Chair, Undergraduate Art Association, UNC (2013-2014)