Nematodes – Dillman Lab

Science Lecture Series 2025

Dr. Dillman is giving the May 2025 CNAS Science Lecture Series Seminar on parasitic nematodes. He will introduce the audience to the wonderful world of nematodes and share research about their amazing ability to influence host immunity. Nematodes have a profound effect on humans causing direct infections and also infecting agricultural crops and livestock. The Dillman Lab studies host-parasite interactions and in the lecture Dr. Dillman will discuss some of the projects that are ongoing in the lab.

The lecture takes place on Saturday, May 3rd, 2025 at 2pm in the Student Success Center, room 229. The lecture will be made available on Youtube.

Dillman Lab Featured in CNAS Blog

Dr. Dillman was recently featured in a CNAS blogpost. The article talks about how Dr. Dillman became interested in science and eventually nematodes. It highlights his undergraduate advisor, Byron Adams as well as his uncle Drew Dillman. Both of whom were especially influential in his love of science and the development of his early career. Dr. Dillman shares about his experience as a professor at UCR and his admiration for the students he teaches here.

Podcast on Indestructible Nematodes

Dr. Dillman recently had the pleasure of being interviewed for the podcast Constant Wonder. This podcast explores the delight found in science, art, history, and nature, and the first episode of season eight examines nematodes as indestructible creatures found all over the world, even in the most inhospitable of environments.

Dr. Dillman was interviewed with his undergraduate advisor and mentor, Dr. Byron Adams, and the two shared their love of nematodes and the research they do. They discuss everything from how they came into this field of research, to finding nematodes in Antarctica, to the idea that society may be too clean and we may need nematodes to help us fight certain diseases. The hosts also interviewed Dr. Michael Werner, a primary researcher at the University of Utah who recently discovered nematodes living in the Great Salt Lake.

It’s a great episode, and if you’d like to listen to it, you can find it here.

Collaborative study on endocannabinoids published

Endocannabinoids are lipid-derived signaling molecules that control important physiologic processes such as feeding behavior and metabolism. We identified the endocannabinoid system as a new mechanism that influences host immunity to helminths. This work was done in collaboration with Dr. Meera Nair and Dr. Nick DiPatrizio at UCR.