An evolutionary biologist and public health phylogeographer, Wallace earned a Ph.D. in biology from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and did postdoctoral work at the University of California with Walter Fitch, a pioneer in molecular phylogeny. He is a visiting fellow at the Institute for Global Studies at the University of Minnesota. His research focuses on the ways in which agriculture and the economy influence the evolution and spread of pathogens. He has studied the evolution and spread of influenza, the social geography of HIV-AIDS in New York City, the emergence of Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus since prehistoric Uganda, and the evolution of infection history in response to antivirals. Wallace is also co-author of Farming Human Pathogens: Ecological Resilience and Evolutionary Process. He has been a consultant for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He regularly posts updates about his work on his blog, Farming Pathogens. In an interview he stated: "Anyone seeking to understand why viruses are becoming more dangerous should investigate the industrial model of agriculture and, more specifically, livestock production. At present, few governments and few scientists are prepared to do so."