Lab Members

Current

Kelly R. Zamudio

Professor, Department of Integrative Biology, UT Austin. Endowed Fellow, Doherty Chair in Molecular Biology. kelly.zamudio (at) austin (dot) utexas (dot) edu

My research is in the fields of population biology, population genetics, systematics, and the genetics of conservation. I am particularly interested in the links between patterns of geographic genetic differentiation and attributes of the ecology and life history of organisms such as mating systems, dispersal, and demography. In my research I combine field and laboratory (molecular) approaches to answer questions about organisms, their environments, and their histories.

Cinnamon Mittan

PhD Candidate; csm259(at)cornell(dot)edu

I am interested in the interplay of evolution and plasticity in local adaptation. Particularly, how organisms respond to sudden environmental changes, for example, through species introductions. I use a combination of fieldwork, physiological experiments, population genomics, and transcriptomics to investigate rapid adaptation in the widely introduced cane toad, Rhinella marina. I am studying the plastic and evolutionary components of adaptation to cold in their introduced range in Florida. I am motivated by the conservation implications of adaptation in invasive species, as well as urban ecology and evolution more broadly.

Jordan Garcia

PhD candidate; jg2266(at)cornell(dot)edu

My research incorporates methodologies from animal behavior, population genetics, animal physiology, and transcriptomics to investigate the mechanisms of local adaptation. I want to understand the evolution of thermal tolerance in ectotherms to better predict species distributions and potential for success in response to climate change. Spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) are an excellent system because they are small-bodied, widespread, well-studied, and not endangered. This allows me to study populations across large distributions and bring animals into the lab for controlled experiments.

Maria Akopyan

PhD candidate; ma2256(at)cornell(dot)edu; co-advised by Nina Overgaard-Therkildsen

I am broadly interested in ecological and evolutionary genomics, with a focus on understanding the mechanisms underlying adaptation and divergence in natural populations of vertebrate species. Currently, I am working on characterizing the genomic architecture of local adaptation with gene flow in Atlantic silversides. Specifically, I am describing structural variation between locally adapted populations and identifying genomic regions that underlie adaptive traits. My goal is to understand the roles of ongoing genetic adaptation and distribution shifts in promoting species persistence in our rapidly changing world. [Maria’s Website]

David Chang Van Oordt

PhD candidate; dac385(at)cornell(dot)edu; co-advised by Maren Vitousek

I am interested in how infectious diseases play a role in host population dynamics and how hosts respond to pathogens to offset costs of infection. My research focuses on how individual variation in pathogen resistance affects a bird’s ability to survive, reproduce and migrate; and how this ultimately affects parasite transmission across scales. I study Avian Malaria in temperate and tropical swallows to see how different birds use different strategies to cope with infectious diseases.

Anat Belasen

Smith Post-doctoral Fellow; amb684(at)cornell(dot)edu

I am interested in the evolutionary and genetic mechanisms behind variation in disease susceptibility in vulnerable wildlife host species. For my postdoc research, I plan to investigate the genetic mechanisms of susceptibility/resistance to the frog pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). I will identify candidate resistance genes and evaluate whether evolutionary changes have occurred in these genes following Bd epizootics. By identifying the genetic mechanisms of Bd resistance, we can more effectively mitigate and predict future Bd outbreaks. [Anat’s Website]

Lina Arcila Hernandez

Active Learning Initiative (ALI) Post-doctoral Fellow; lma84(at)cornell(dot)edu

I am interested in studying how active learning strategies and inclusive teaching practices improve learning for students in STEM online courses. As an ALI Post-doctoral Fellow, I am applying and assessing active learning strategies in a new online course where students are introduced to evolution and diversity concepts. I am also interested in comparing if the efficacy of these active learning strategies differ between online and in-person courses.