Henry Volkmann
NIH T32 CoEvoD Fellow, Tate Lab
Herny joined the CoEvoD program as a third-year trainee supported by the NIH / NIGMS T32 Training Grant in 2026.
Immune signaling networks from plants to insects to humans share similar topological components such as negative feedback loops that refine and attenuate a response once it is initiated, but some networks contain many of these feedback loops while others have few. Using computational methods, Henry can apply cybernetics theory to investigate the topological evolution of these feedback loops and the factors, such as the rate of parasite evolution, genetic pleiotropy, and life history trade-offs, that shape variation in the topology of these networks across the tree of life.