Brandon Ogbunu
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- Matthew Shoulders, Department of Chemistry
- Scholar Link:Visit Brandon Ogbunu's faculty page
The trailblazers in human, academic, scientific and religious freedom have always been in the minority… It will take such a small committed minority to work unrelentingly to win the uncommitted majority. Such a group may transform America’s greatest dilemma into her most glorious opportunity.
Background
C. Brandon Ogbunu is assistant professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University. In addition, Ogbunu runs a parallel research program at the intersection of science, society, and culture, where he writes, gives public lectures, and creates media of various kinds. He completed his PhD in microbiology at Yale University in 2010 and postdoctoral fellowships at Harvard University and the Broad Institute.
Interests
Ogbunu’s research takes place at the intersection of evolutionary biology, genetics, and epidemiology. He uses experimental evolution, mathematical modeling, and computational biology to better understand the underlying causes and consequences of disease, across scales: from the biophysics of proteins involved in drug resistance to the social determinants driving epidemics at the population level. In doing so, Ogbunu aims to develop theory that enriches our understanding of the evolutionary and ecological underpinnings of disease, while contributing to practical solutions for clinical medicine and public health.
News Items
Brandon Ogbunu is a radical collaborator
MLK Visiting Professor tries to “maximize connection time” while studying protein evolution.
Go Ahead, Joke About the Pandemic: The public-health power of humor on Black Twitter
MLK Visiting Assistant Professor Brandon Ogbunu writes about Black Twitter in The Atlantic.
Lupe Fiasco on his latest challenge: teaching at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The MLK Scholar and Grammy-winning rapper talks about the fusion between academia and hip-hop.
MIT welcomes eight MLK Visiting Professors and Scholars for 2022-23
Martin Luther King Jr. Visiting Professors and Scholars will enhance and enrich the MIT community through engagement with students and faculty.
Sample Work
Publication
When Vibrios Take Flight: A Meta-analysis of Pathogenic Vibrios Species in Wild and Domestic Birds
Ayala, Andrea J., and C. Brandon Ogbunugafor. “When Vibrios Take Flight: A Meta-analysis of Pathogenic Vibrios Species in Wild and Domestic Birds.” bioRxiv (2022).
Publication
Molecular mechanisms and drivers of pathogen emergence
Balasubramanian, D., López-Pérez, M., Grant, T. A., Ogbunugafor, C. B., & Almagro-Moreno, S. “Molecular mechanisms and drivers of pathogen emergence.” Trends in Microbiology (2022).
Publication
Exploring the expanse between theoretical questions and experimental approaches in the modern study of evolvability
Draghi, Jeremy A., and C. Brandon Ogbunugafor. “Exploring the expanse between theoretical questions and experimental approaches in the modern study of evolvability.” Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution (2022).
Publication
Higher-Order Interactions in Biology: The Curious Case of Epistasis
Ogbunugafor, C. Brandon and Samuel V. Scarpino. “Higher-Order Interactions in Biology: The Curious Case of Epistasis.” Higher-Order Systems. Springer, Cham, 2022. 417-433.