Andy Dobson is professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Princeton University. His research is concerned with the ecology of wildlife diseases (particularly zoonosis), their interaction with the social systems of carnivores and primates, and the conservation of biodiversity. He has studied infectious diseases in a variety of endangered and fragile ecosystems, including the Serengeti in East Africa, Yellowstone National Park in the US, the forests of Panama, the coastal salt marshes and grasslands of California and the birds that visit the feeder in his backyard. He is writing a series of books explaining the ecology and biology of these places as complex interactive systems. He is an associated faculty member at the High Meadows Environmental Institute and the Santa Fe Institute.