Biological Sciences Colloquium: Chandika Rani Ganesh Babu

Chandika Rani Ganesh Babu, PhD candidate in the Latch Lab, will be presenting a talk about her work entitled “Applied Genomics for White-tailed Deer Management: Population Monitoring and Chronic Wasting Disease.”  The abstract is as follows:

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal neurological disease affecting deer and related species. As it continues to spread across North America, it presents growing challenges for wildlife conservation and management. Understanding why some animals are more susceptible than others and developing better tools to monitor wild populations are critical steps toward effective disease control.  This talk will explore how genetics and genomic tools are advancing our understanding of white-tailed deer populations and the biological mechanisms underlying CWD susceptibility. Using large-scale, range-wide sampling, the talk will highlight how modern genomics can reveal patterns of population structure, disease vulnerability, and pathways that may shape future wildlife management strategies.  Join us to learn how genetics is helping address one of the most pressing disease challenges facing North American wildlife.

Please note that this week, colloquium will be taking place at 3:30pm in the Union Alumni Fireside Lounge as the keynote talk of the 2026 Biological Sciences Research Symposium.