Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior
University of Minnesota, 2023
Dissertation: "Effects of environmental factors on pathogen exposure and transmission in wild rodent populations" Supervisor: Dr. Meggan Craft
Professional Summary
Currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at University of Arkansas investigating viral dynamics with voles in Finland and bats in Kenya, Janine received her PhD in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior in 2023 from the University of Minnesota, funded in part by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Janine recieved her B.S. in Ecology (as well as a B.S. in French and Francophone Studies) from Penn State University in 2016. She has worked extensively in field ecology conducting: longitudinal studies of viral dyanmics in wild rodents in the Finland, plant phenology and shrub expansion research in western Greenland, acoustic surveys for bats in the Chugach National Forest in Alaska, radio telemetry monitoring of sage-grouse in Wyoming, and trapping wild rodents in a longitudinal population and parasite study in central Pennsylvania. Her research interests include the role of landscape and habitat features in shaping animal movement and contact behavior and the influence of these factors on disease dynamics in wildlife populations.
Education
B.S. in Biology, Ecology option
B.S. in French & Francophone Studies
Penn State University, 2016
Honors Thesis: "Spatial distribution by size and age and allometric relationship of a spruce population in west Greenland" Supervisor: Dr. Eric Post
Publications
Friant, S., Mistrick, J., et al. (2025). Reducing the threats of rodent-borne zoonoses requires an understanding and leveraging of three key pillars: disease ecology, synanthropy, and rodentation. The Lancet: Plantetary Health, 9.
Mistrick, J., Veitch, J. S. M., Kitchen, S. M., Clague, S., Newman, B. C., Hall, R. J., Budischak, S. A., Forbes, K. M., & Craft, M. E. (2024). Effects of food supplementation and helminth removal on space use and spatial overlap in wild rodent populations. Journal of Animal Ecology 93, 743-754.
Mistrick, J.,Kipp, E. J., Weinberg, S. I., Adams, C. C., Larsen, P. A., & Craft, M. E. (2024). Microbiome diversity and zoonotic bacterial pathogen prevalence in Peromyscus mice from agricultural landscapes and synanthropic habitat. Molecular Ecology, 33, e17309.
Book Chapter: Mistrick, J., Gilbertson, M.L.J., White, L.A., Craft, M.E.. “Constructing animal networks for parasite transmission inference” in V. Ezenwa, S.M. Altizer, and R.J. Hall (eds), Animal Behavior & Parasitism (2022). Oxford University Press.
Core Skills
Field
- Living and working in remote conditions
- Working in small teams
- Small mammal handling
- Small mammal handling
- IACUC-approved euthanasia under field conditions
Quantitative
- R statistical software
- Data entry, management, manipulation, and analysis of large datasets
- ArcGIS
Laboratory
- DNA / RNA Extraction
- Conventional & Real-time PCR
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Software
- Microsoft Office, Teams
- Slack
Training
- CPR/AED Certified
Research Experience
Senior Research Scientist
Lorem Ipsum Research Institute | 2020 - Present
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Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Sed Do Eiusmod Research Center | 2018 - 2020
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