Lambodhar Damodaran
@lambod50.bsky.social
Post-Doc | Moncla Lab | PennVet |
Past: PhD Bioinformatics | University of Georgia | Bahl Lab |
Interested in ecology and virus evolution | Views are my own | He/Him |
Past: PhD Bioinformatics | University of Georgia | Bahl Lab |
Interested in ecology and virus evolution | Views are my own | He/Him |
Reposted by Lambodhar Damodaran
Our lab's paper describing the North American H5N1 epizootic is out now in Nature! So thrilled to have this out, and congratulations to @lambod50.bsky.social for all the fantastic work on this: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Ecology and spread of the North American H5N1 epizootic - Nature
The panzootic of highly pathogenic H5N1 since 2021 was driven by around nine introductions into the Atlantic and Pacific flyways, followed by rapid dissemination through wild migratory birds, primaril...
www.nature.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Our lab's paper describing the North American H5N1 epizootic is out now in Nature! So thrilled to have this out, and congratulations to @lambod50.bsky.social for all the fantastic work on this: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Lambodhar Damodaran
Our lab's first paper is out! Led by Jordan Ort, we developed NextClade datasets that enable rapid H5 clade assignment via NextClade. We deployed these during the start of the H5 cattle outbreak, and we finally published the paper in Virus Evolution academic.oup.com/ve/article/1...
Development of avian influenza A(H5) virus datasets for Nextclade enables rapid and accurate clade assignment
Abstract. The 2022 panzootic of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5) viruses has led to unprecedented transmission to multiple mammalian species.
academic.oup.com
October 15, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Our lab's first paper is out! Led by Jordan Ort, we developed NextClade datasets that enable rapid H5 clade assignment via NextClade. We deployed these during the start of the H5 cattle outbreak, and we finally published the paper in Virus Evolution academic.oup.com/ve/article/1...
Check out this cool preprint on Dengue epidemiology in Colombia! It was a pleasure to work with Ricardo on some of these interesting phylodynamic analyses!
It’s my pleasure to share our new preprint, which I had the opportunity to lead, and which has been in the making since 2022.
In this work, we used climate data, phylogeography, and antigenic profiling to uncover the dynamics of DENV spread in Colombia.
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
In this work, we used climate data, phylogeography, and antigenic profiling to uncover the dynamics of DENV spread in Colombia.
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
Genomic epidemiology of dengue virus 2 and 3 reveals repeated introductions and exportations of several lineages in Colombia.
Dengue fever, a major mosquito–borne viral disease, is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes and poses a significant global health burden. Despite extensive research, the spatiotemporal dynamics of dengue v...
www.medrxiv.org
August 13, 2025 at 6:08 AM
Check out this cool preprint on Dengue epidemiology in Colombia! It was a pleasure to work with Ricardo on some of these interesting phylodynamic analyses!
Reposted by Lambodhar Damodaran
Important work from Tavis Anderson and our Penn-CEIRR USDA colleagues:
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Emergence and interstate spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) in dairy cattle in the United States
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses cross species barriers and have the potential to cause pandemics. In North America, HPAI A(H5N1) viruses related to the goose/Guangdong 2.3.4.4b hemagg...
www.science.org
April 25, 2025 at 1:58 AM
Important work from Tavis Anderson and our Penn-CEIRR USDA colleagues:
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Lambodhar Damodaran
U.S. citizen interested in grad studies at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver (Canada)?
Grad programs are re-opening applications of US programs for one week. With expedited decisions.
U.S. Applicant Week:
www.grad.ubc.ca/us-applicant...
#AcademicChatter #Canada #GradSchool
Grad programs are re-opening applications of US programs for one week. With expedited decisions.
U.S. Applicant Week:
www.grad.ubc.ca/us-applicant...
#AcademicChatter #Canada #GradSchool
US Applicant Week
www.grad.ubc.ca
April 7, 2025 at 7:49 PM
U.S. citizen interested in grad studies at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver (Canada)?
Grad programs are re-opening applications of US programs for one week. With expedited decisions.
U.S. Applicant Week:
www.grad.ubc.ca/us-applicant...
#AcademicChatter #Canada #GradSchool
Grad programs are re-opening applications of US programs for one week. With expedited decisions.
U.S. Applicant Week:
www.grad.ubc.ca/us-applicant...
#AcademicChatter #Canada #GradSchool
Reposted by Lambodhar Damodaran
A tricky thing about modern society is that no one has any idea when they don’t die.
Like, the number of lives saved by controlling air pollution in America is probably over 200,000 per year, but the number of people who think their life was saved by controlling air pollution is zero.
Like, the number of lives saved by controlling air pollution in America is probably over 200,000 per year, but the number of people who think their life was saved by controlling air pollution is zero.
April 7, 2025 at 4:13 AM
A tricky thing about modern society is that no one has any idea when they don’t die.
Like, the number of lives saved by controlling air pollution in America is probably over 200,000 per year, but the number of people who think their life was saved by controlling air pollution is zero.
Like, the number of lives saved by controlling air pollution in America is probably over 200,000 per year, but the number of people who think their life was saved by controlling air pollution is zero.
Reposted by Lambodhar Damodaran
Please watch. Powerful and chilling. 1: ‘Do not obey in advance.’ 20: ‘Be as courageous as you can!’
Here is my best guidance for action, rendered beautifully by the great John Lithgow. I first published these lessons more than eight years ago, in late 2016. They open the twenty chapters of "On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century."
snyder.substack.com/p/twenty-les...
snyder.substack.com/p/twenty-les...
Twenty Lessons, read by John Lithgow
Key selections from On Tyranny, for viewing and sharing
snyder.substack.com
March 30, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Please watch. Powerful and chilling. 1: ‘Do not obey in advance.’ 20: ‘Be as courageous as you can!’
Reposted by Lambodhar Damodaran
1/3 How long do you think it takes for highly pathogenic avian flu H5N1 sequences to be uploaded to GISAID after collection? How long should it be? In this commentary, we find a median delay of 228 days, with half the countries taking more than 6 months. rdcu.be/eeZGU @naturebiotech.bsky.social
Lengthy delays in H5N1 genome submissions to GISAID
Nature Biotechnology - Lengthy delays in H5N1 genome submissions to GISAID
rdcu.be
March 25, 2025 at 5:30 PM
1/3 How long do you think it takes for highly pathogenic avian flu H5N1 sequences to be uploaded to GISAID after collection? How long should it be? In this commentary, we find a median delay of 228 days, with half the countries taking more than 6 months. rdcu.be/eeZGU @naturebiotech.bsky.social
Reposted by Lambodhar Damodaran
I'm hopping on the market for postdocs outside the US...
...as soon as I finish some new analyses for a manuscript.
Lmk if there are any good leads! I've been collecting random ones here and there, but it's more daunting now that my home country appears to be off the table.
...as soon as I finish some new analyses for a manuscript.
Lmk if there are any good leads! I've been collecting random ones here and there, but it's more daunting now that my home country appears to be off the table.
March 24, 2025 at 11:04 PM
I'm hopping on the market for postdocs outside the US...
...as soon as I finish some new analyses for a manuscript.
Lmk if there are any good leads! I've been collecting random ones here and there, but it's more daunting now that my home country appears to be off the table.
...as soon as I finish some new analyses for a manuscript.
Lmk if there are any good leads! I've been collecting random ones here and there, but it's more daunting now that my home country appears to be off the table.
Reposted by Lambodhar Damodaran
In study led by @ckikawa.bsky.social & Andrea Loes, we use new assay to measure ~10,000 neutralization titers to recent influenza strains & show titers correlate w evolutionary success of viral strains
Similar data could help forecast evolution for vaccine selection
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Similar data could help forecast evolution for vaccine selection
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
High-throughput neutralization measurements correlate strongly with evolutionary success of human influenza strains
Human influenza viruses rapidly acquire mutations in their hemagglutinin (HA) protein that erode neutralization by antibodies from prior exposures. Here, we use a sequencing-based assay to measure neu...
www.biorxiv.org
March 12, 2025 at 11:48 PM
In study led by @ckikawa.bsky.social & Andrea Loes, we use new assay to measure ~10,000 neutralization titers to recent influenza strains & show titers correlate w evolutionary success of viral strains
Similar data could help forecast evolution for vaccine selection
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Similar data could help forecast evolution for vaccine selection
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Lambodhar Damodaran
Postdoc Opportunity
Got a PhD in disease evolution, or something similarly hardcore? Know your way around phylodynamics? Good. We need you.
If you’re up for real-world research getting hands-on with fieldwork, sequencing, and making sense of viral evolution, apply here: jobs.inrae.fr/en/ot-25456.
Got a PhD in disease evolution, or something similarly hardcore? Know your way around phylodynamics? Good. We need you.
If you’re up for real-world research getting hands-on with fieldwork, sequencing, and making sense of viral evolution, apply here: jobs.inrae.fr/en/ot-25456.
Postdoctoral research project: Phylodynamics of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses in complex ecosystems H/F
ContextHighly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses are rapidly crossing geographical boundaries, threatening poultry, wildlife and potentially evolving into global pandemics1,2. In South-East Asi...
jobs.inrae.fr
March 14, 2025 at 1:43 AM
Postdoc Opportunity
Got a PhD in disease evolution, or something similarly hardcore? Know your way around phylodynamics? Good. We need you.
If you’re up for real-world research getting hands-on with fieldwork, sequencing, and making sense of viral evolution, apply here: jobs.inrae.fr/en/ot-25456.
Got a PhD in disease evolution, or something similarly hardcore? Know your way around phylodynamics? Good. We need you.
If you’re up for real-world research getting hands-on with fieldwork, sequencing, and making sense of viral evolution, apply here: jobs.inrae.fr/en/ot-25456.
Reposted by Lambodhar Damodaran
Today @natmedicine.bsky.social published our study showing the older individuals born prior to 1968 have more antibodies that cross-react to #H5N1 relative to younger individuals. If H5N1 causes a pandemic, children will likely be the most susceptible. 1/2
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Immune history shapes human antibody responses to H5N1 influenza viruses - Nature Medicine
H5N1 strain-specific antibodies are higher in older individuals and correlate more with birth year than with age, suggesting that younger individuals are potentially more likely to benefit from H5N1 v...
www.nature.com
March 13, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Today @natmedicine.bsky.social published our study showing the older individuals born prior to 1968 have more antibodies that cross-react to #H5N1 relative to younger individuals. If H5N1 causes a pandemic, children will likely be the most susceptible. 1/2
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Highly suggest folks read up about Lysenkosism because it feels like that is where we are heading.
But University of Georgia's Daniel Perez told us that another idea floated by officials was more likely to result in dangerous bird flu mutations
Kennedy talked about "the possibility of letting it run through the flock" and preserving birds that are immune
www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-...
Kennedy talked about "the possibility of letting it run through the flock" and preserving birds that are immune
www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-...
RFK Jr. warns vaccinating poultry for bird flu could backfire
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. warned vaccines could turn "birds into mutant factories."
www.cbsnews.com
March 7, 2025 at 1:48 AM
Highly suggest folks read up about Lysenkosism because it feels like that is where we are heading.
Check out some really cool work on canine influenza that was just published! Awesome collaborative team and looking forward to learning more about this very understudied pathogen!
For something different... Happy to report the accepted version of our manuscript on H3N2 Canine Influenza Virus (CIV) in US dogs over the past 20 years, at Epidemiology & Infection (Cambridge). #influenza #virology
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
THE EVOLUTION AND EPIDEMIOLOGY OF H3N2 CANINE INFLUENZA VIRUS AFTER 20 YEARS IN DOGS | Epidemiology & Infection | Cambridge Core
THE EVOLUTION AND EPIDEMIOLOGY OF H3N2 CANINE INFLUENZA VIRUS AFTER 20 YEARS IN DOGS
www.cambridge.org
March 6, 2025 at 2:37 AM
Check out some really cool work on canine influenza that was just published! Awesome collaborative team and looking forward to learning more about this very understudied pathogen!
Reposted by Lambodhar Damodaran
Timely work on data integration for flu spillover prediction from @haileyrobertson.bsky.social and collaborators: "Understanding ecological systems using knowledge graphs: an application to highly pathogenic avian influenza" 🔓 academic.oup.com/bioinformati...
March 5, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Timely work on data integration for flu spillover prediction from @haileyrobertson.bsky.social and collaborators: "Understanding ecological systems using knowledge graphs: an application to highly pathogenic avian influenza" 🔓 academic.oup.com/bioinformati...
Reposted by Lambodhar Damodaran
stopover duration of waterfowl predicts HPAI infection probability in backyard poultry from waterfowl, but ttiming has no effect. virulence and immunity impact the transmission risk to backyard poultry.
👉 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
👉 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
February 24, 2025 at 4:05 AM
stopover duration of waterfowl predicts HPAI infection probability in backyard poultry from waterfowl, but ttiming has no effect. virulence and immunity impact the transmission risk to backyard poultry.
👉 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
👉 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Lambodhar Damodaran
New research alert! 🚨
Our paper describing the first evidence of the novel H18N12 Flu in Albiventris bats is out in @natureportfolio.nature.com Scientific Reports.
Huge shoutout to my friend and colleague Daniel for leading this work.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Our paper describing the first evidence of the novel H18N12 Flu in Albiventris bats is out in @natureportfolio.nature.com Scientific Reports.
Huge shoutout to my friend and colleague Daniel for leading this work.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Genomics of novel influenza A virus (H18N12) in bats, Caribe Colombia - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - Genomics of novel influenza A virus (H18N12) in bats, Caribe Colombia
www.nature.com
February 23, 2025 at 1:16 AM
New research alert! 🚨
Our paper describing the first evidence of the novel H18N12 Flu in Albiventris bats is out in @natureportfolio.nature.com Scientific Reports.
Huge shoutout to my friend and colleague Daniel for leading this work.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Our paper describing the first evidence of the novel H18N12 Flu in Albiventris bats is out in @natureportfolio.nature.com Scientific Reports.
Huge shoutout to my friend and colleague Daniel for leading this work.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Lambodhar Damodaran
New paper led by Rohan Simkin exploring global patterns of zoonotic hosts in the wildland-urban interface. WUIs are a complex and expanding contact zone with many potential host species that are likely to be consequential for spillover transmission on a rapidly urbanizing planet. bit.ly/WUI-zdx
Zoonotic Host Richness in the Global Wildland–Urban Interface
In the wildland–urban interface (WUI), where human settlements abut or intermix with wildlands, people may encounter animals that host zoonotic pathogens, which can spillover to cause human disease. ...
bit.ly
February 6, 2025 at 5:26 PM
New paper led by Rohan Simkin exploring global patterns of zoonotic hosts in the wildland-urban interface. WUIs are a complex and expanding contact zone with many potential host species that are likely to be consequential for spillover transmission on a rapidly urbanizing planet. bit.ly/WUI-zdx
Reposted by Lambodhar Damodaran
Preprint out by me, Greg Albery, Barbara Han (@bahanbug.bsky.social ), and Amy Sweeny about how coinfection dynamics affect our ability to measure parasite/pathogen diversity. This research was funded by @viralemergence.org. ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v... 🧪🧵(1/4)
Coinfection interactions systematically influence parasite diversity estimates in simulated host populations
ecoevorxiv.org
February 5, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Preprint out by me, Greg Albery, Barbara Han (@bahanbug.bsky.social ), and Amy Sweeny about how coinfection dynamics affect our ability to measure parasite/pathogen diversity. This research was funded by @viralemergence.org. ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v... 🧪🧵(1/4)
Reposted by Lambodhar Damodaran
We get data *from* the WHO. Without this, we're flying blind with data regarding evolution of infectious agents globally, putting us behind if we need to develop vaccines & treatments, just for one aspect. This puts the whole country at risk.
ATLANTA (AP) — US public health officials have been told to stop working with the World Health Organization, effective immediately.
January 27, 2025 at 8:57 PM
We get data *from* the WHO. Without this, we're flying blind with data regarding evolution of infectious agents globally, putting us behind if we need to develop vaccines & treatments, just for one aspect. This puts the whole country at risk.
Reposted by Lambodhar Damodaran
Call your senators! Do it today! It's better than wallowing
January 28, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Call your senators! Do it today! It's better than wallowing
Reposted by Lambodhar Damodaran
Very excited to see this paper out in the world. Absolutely monumental effort by @gorkalasso.bsky.social et al. to predict which filoviruses are likely to infect which bat species. Check out the thread below for details!
Exciting news! Our collaborative study reveals the molecular secrets of how #filoviruses, like #Ebola virus, interact with their #receptor and enter host cells. We also predict #bat species that could act as hosts for Ebola virus. Check it out: https://buff.ly/4akxlP1 1/10
buff.ly
January 15, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Very excited to see this paper out in the world. Absolutely monumental effort by @gorkalasso.bsky.social et al. to predict which filoviruses are likely to infect which bat species. Check out the thread below for details!
Reposted by Lambodhar Damodaran
🚨😷🧪 NEW: A growing body of evidence shows that pandemics, biodiversity loss, and climate change are part of a broader polycrisis - but there are no simple solutions. A sweeping overview of "Pathogens and planetary change" for the first issue of @natrevbiodiv.bsky.social, out now 🔓 rdcu.be/d6lHl
January 15, 2025 at 2:16 PM
🚨😷🧪 NEW: A growing body of evidence shows that pandemics, biodiversity loss, and climate change are part of a broader polycrisis - but there are no simple solutions. A sweeping overview of "Pathogens and planetary change" for the first issue of @natrevbiodiv.bsky.social, out now 🔓 rdcu.be/d6lHl
Reposted by Lambodhar Damodaran
Hi! I'm new to blue sky, and I have a new preprint out! 🥳🥳 This work is the first chapter of my dissertation: biorxiv.org/content/10.1... The study was completed with the @viralemergence.org with support from @danjbecker.bsky.social, @colincarlson.bsky.social, and Amanda Vicente-Santos ☺️🦇⚕️🦠👩🔬 (1/5)
January 14, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Hi! I'm new to blue sky, and I have a new preprint out! 🥳🥳 This work is the first chapter of my dissertation: biorxiv.org/content/10.1... The study was completed with the @viralemergence.org with support from @danjbecker.bsky.social, @colincarlson.bsky.social, and Amanda Vicente-Santos ☺️🦇⚕️🦠👩🔬 (1/5)
Really important work from the Moncla lab led by Jordan Ort on H5 clade assignment just preprinted! The framework that was developed is a critical tool to study virus evolution and epidemiology.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Development of avian influenza A(H5) virus datasets for Nextclade enables rapid and accurate clade assignment
The ongoing panzootic of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5) viruses is the largest in history, with unprecedented transmission to multiple mammalian species. Avian influenza A viruses of t...
www.biorxiv.org
January 10, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Really important work from the Moncla lab led by Jordan Ort on H5 clade assignment just preprinted! The framework that was developed is a critical tool to study virus evolution and epidemiology.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...