Nicole M. Gerardo is an entomologist and Professor of Biology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
[1] Gerardo's work focuses on evolutionary ecology, in particular the relationships between both beneficial and harmful microbes and their hosts.
For example, aphids are supplied with nutrients by beneficial bacteria and may have lowered immunity to ensure that the relationship continues.
[9] Her work on the genetics of insect species has also revealed patterns of immune gene evolution of monarch butterflies.
[10] Another of her areas of study involves fungal pathogens, fungus-growing ants and their gardens, which are regarded as a model of symbiosis.