Senior Computational Biologist

Phone: (540) 231-4869
Email: jgille@vbi.vt.edu
Fax:

Computational Biology and Bioinformatics | Cyberinfrastructure Division | Publications

Professional Preparation

• Texas A&M University, Entomology, PhD, 2005
• University of Delaware, Entomology and Applied Ecology, MS, 2001
• Widener University, Biology, BS, 1998

Research Interests

• Molecular Evolutionary Biology
• Organismal Evolution

Biography

Joseph J. Gillespie was born and raised in suburban Philadelphia, PA.  In 1998 he obtained his BS degree from Widener University, studying the effects of controlled fire on arthropod populations in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.  He continued to study arthropods in his MS (University of Delaware) and Ph.D. (Texas A&M University) programs, specializing in molecular evolution and phylogenetics.  In 2006 he was hired by the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech to study the bioinformatics of arthropod-borne bacteria.  Since then he has developed an interest in the biology of obligate intracellular bacteria, especially rickettsiae.  Of particular interest is the manner in which these bacteria coevolve with their eukaryotic hosts.  He is also a visiting scientist in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Maryland, School of Medicine.  He resides with his family in Maryland.

Selected Publications