Biography
I am a PhD student and Gates Cambridge Scholar in the Disease Dynamics Unit at the Department of Veterinary Medicine. Before starting at Cambridge in 2022, I completed my B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University (2020), where I studied small mammal biogeography and conducted research in natural history collections. From 2020 to 2022, I worked for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health as a COVID response coordinator and for the University of Alaska Museum as a research technician. I am now working toward a PhD at the nexus of my interests in mammal ecology and zoonotic disease.
Research
My doctoral research explores viral diversity and transmission dynamics in bats, with a proposed focus on henipaviruses in Australian and African fruit bats. I am particularly interested in understanding how ecological and anthropogenic factors (e.g. climate change, resource availability, nutritional stress, land use) impact the circulation and potential spillover of bat-borne viruses in these systems. Other general interests of mine include mammal conservation (especially in South and Southeast Asia) and using natural history collections to study zoonotic diseases. I welcome opportunities for collaboration, teaching, and mentorship, so please feel free to reach out if you would like to chat about potential projects.
Publications
Juman M.M., Woodman N., Miller-Murthy A., Olson L.E., Sargis E.J. (in press) Taxonomic boundaries in Lesser Treeshrews (Scandentia, Tupaiidae: Tupaia minor Günther, 1876). Journal of Mammalogy.
Juman M.M., Olson L.E., Sargis E.J. (2021) Skeletal variation and taxonomic boundaries in the Pen-tailed Treeshrew (Scandentia: Ptilocercidae; Ptilocercus lowii Gray, 1848). Journal of Mammalian Evolution.
Juman M.M., Woodman N., Olson L.E., Sargis E.J. (2021) Ecogeographic variation and taxonomic boundaries in Large Treeshrews (Scandentia, Tupaiidae: Tupaia tana Raffles, 1821) from Southeast Asia. Journal of Mammalogy.
Ruane S., Myers E.A., Lo K., Yuen S., Welt R.S., Juman M.M., et al. (2018) Unrecognized species diversity and new insights into colour pattern polymorphism within the widespread Malagasy snake Mimophis (Serpentes: Lamprophiidae). Systematics and Biodiversity.
