Korryn Bodner (Research Associate) 
Korryn began her position as a Research Associate in the Mishra lab in December 2021. She completed her PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto in September 2021. Her PhD research focused on creating frameworks to understand variations in ecological interactions from mechanisms to networks and improving how to design and evaluate explanatory and predictive models. She also has a BA and an MA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto, respectively, and has previously worked as a senior research analyst in the industry.
Korryn’s current research focuses on how SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern (VOCs) can exacerbate inequities within communities and how heterogeneities within these communities and across VOCs can influence transmission dynamics, potentially producing unexpected epidemiological patterns. By identifying which heterogeneities may dominate transmission patterns, she hopes to use this knowledge better inform forecasting models. In the future, Korryn is interested in expanding this research to develop better frameworks for understanding and forecasting emerging infectious diseases, particularly at the animal-human interface.
Beyond her research in the Mishra Lab, Korryn is also the co-founder of the Canadian Ecological Forecasting Initiative – a Chapter of the Ecological Forecasting Initiative. The main objective of this initiative is to build forecasting capacity and to better bridge the divide between forecasting and decision-making.
Mishra Lab 