Dr. Thomas Van Boeckel’s research lies at the interface of science and policy. His objective is to accelerate the international response to the rapid rise of antimicrobial resistance. Specifically, he will pioneer the development of a novel type of platform to automate epidemiological data collection, and using geospatial methods he will map the geographic distribution of four common drug-resistant pathogens found in animals. The objective of this work is to help target intervention against antimicrobial resistance in the most affected regions, and create a baseline for the evaluation of future efforts to reduce antimicrobial resistance in food animals. He will also explore how economic incentives such as taxes could be deployed to optimally manage the antimicrobials currently used in veterinary medicine. Ultimately those initiatives aim to reduce the spread of antimicrobial resistance in animals, as well as their potential transmission to humans.