Afkhami, Mehrnaz
Ph.D. student with Dr. JP Masly; B.S. & M.S. University of Tehran, Iran.
Research interests include evolutionary genetics, male-female interactions, and female reproduction.
Email: mehrnaz.afkhami-1@ou.edu
Biology Graduate Students
Allira, Meagan
MS student with Dr. Daniel Becker, BS Colorado State University, Colorado.
Research interests include virology, immunology, and disease ecology in bats.
Email: Meagan.Allira-1@ou.edu
Arredondo, Eric
M.S. student with Dr. Laura Stein; BS University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Research interests include conservation biology, behavioral ecology, and responses to invasive species.
Email: arredondo@ou.edu
Azom, Golam
Ph.D. student with Dr. J.P. Masly. Research interests include evolutionary biology, developmental genetics, and molecular biology.
Email: mgazom@ou.edu
Bailey, Leigh
M.S. student with Dr. Alex Bentz; BS Truman State University, Missouri
Research interests include transgenerational behavioral plasticity and epigenetic programming in songbirds.
Email: Leigh.Bailey-1@ou.edu
Besozzi, Elizabeth
Alumni Fellow and Ph.D. student with Dr. Michael Patten; BS Smith College
Research interests include exploring relative importance of top-down and bottom-up drivers of distribution, community ecology, biogeography and conservation.
Email: ebesozzi@ou.edu
Byrd, Brendon
PhD student with Dr. Laura Stein; BS Texas A&M University
Research interests include the evolutionary consequences and mechanistic basis of transgenerational plasticity.
Email: Brendon.E.Byrd-1@ou.edu
Cespedes-Gonzalez, Alejandra
Ph.D. student with Prof. Ingo Schlupp; MSc Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, BSc University of Bristol
Research interests include behavioral ecology, parthenogenetic mating systems, transgenerational effects, and herpetology.
Email: acespedesg@ou.edu
Cimprich, Paula
Ph.D. student with Dr. Jeffrey Kelly; BS Miami University, Ohio
Research interests include conservation biology, ornithology and ecology.
Email: paula.m.cimprich-1@ou.edu
da Cruz, Marcos
Ph.D. student with Dr. Hayley Lanier.
Research interests include phylogenetics, bioinformatics, genomics, molecular evolution and population genetics.
Email: marcos.cruz@ou.edu
Cueto Aparicio, Luis
Ph.D. student co-advised by Dr. Katharine Marske and Dr. Jeremy Ross.
Research interests include phylogeography, ecology, and ornithology.
Email: l.cueto@ou.edu
Cummings, Caroline
Ph.D. student with Dr. Daniel Becker, BSA & BA The University of Texas at Austin
Research interests include: ecoimmunology, bat-virus coevolution, and machine learning
Email: carolinecummings@ou.edu
Dyer, Kristin
MS student with Dr. Daniel Becker; BS Texas State University
Research interests include ectoparasites and vector-borne disease ecology in bats.
Email: kristin.dyer-1@ou.edu
Forehand, Cameron
MS Student with Dr. Cameron Siler; BS Clemson University
Research interests include conservation biology, ecology, and herpetology.
Email: Cameron.R.Forehand-1@ou.edu
Franzen, Alex J.
Ph.D. student with Dr. Caryn Vaughn. M.S.- Univ. of Minnesota.
Research interests include community ecology, conservation genetics, evolutionary ecology of freshwater bivalves (unionoida), and freshwater ecosystems in general.
Email: ajfranzen@ou.edu
Frazier, Ethan
M.S. student with Dr. Katie Marske, BS- Univ. of Oklahoma.
Research interests include entomology, biogeography, phylogeography, and chemical ecology.
Email: Ethan.A.Kelley-1@ou.edu
Fulton, Alex
M.S. student; BS University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Research interests include reptile and amphibian conservation-based research with direct implications for imperiled species.
Email: amfulton@ou.edu
Gatchoff, Laura
PhD student with Dr. Laura Stein.
Research interests include learning and social behavior with black widow spiders, primarily with the juvenile social period, how sociality can exist in high-risk environments, and how spiders use learning to deal with risk.
Email: Laura.Gatch-1@ou.edu
Gilmore, Emilyn
MS student with Dr. Hayley Lanier; BS Missouri State University
Research interests include mammal ecology and response anthropogenic change
Email: Emilyn.J.Gilmore-1@ou.edu
Gonzales, Shanen
MS student with Dr. Gavin Woodruff
Email: Daniel.S.Gonzales-1@ou.edu
Grimmett, Claire
MS student with Dr. Dave Hambright, BA Yale University
Research interests include freshwater ecology and harmful algal blooms.
Email: claire.grimmett@ou.edu
Han, Donglin (Donny)
Ph.D. student in Cellular and Behavioral Program. Doing rotations at Dr. Ashlee Rowe’s Lab and Dr. Michael Markham’s Lab.
Research interests include investigating sensory physiology and electricphysiology in animals, ion channels function and weakly electric fish.
Email: dhan2@ou.edu
Hassan, Rami
Ph.D. student with Dr. Mojgan Padash; B.S. University of Oklahoma.
Research interests include exploring the mechanisms of HPV-induced cellular abnormalities in a Drosophila model of the disease.
Email: rami.hassan.22@ou.edu
James, Anna
Ph.D. student with Dr. Alexandra Bentz; B.A. The College of Wooster.
Research interests include behavioral endocrinology, physiological and behavioral responses to climate change, and transgenerational effects.
Email: anna.o.james-1@ou.edu
Kaur, Jasmeen
Ph.D. student with Dr. Alex Bentz; BS Indiana University - Bloomington
Research interests include maternal effects, testosterone, and phenotypic plasticity in songbirds.
Email: Jasmeen.Kaur-1@ou.edu
Kolbmann, Christina
Ph.D. student with Dr. Jeff Kelly, M.S. Southeastern Louisiana University, BS Canisius College.
Research interests include animal behavior, ornithology, sexual selection, and conservation management.
Email: christinak@ou.edu
Leri, Faith
Ph.D. student with Dr. Laura Stein, M.S. Penn State University.
Research interests include evolution, behavior, and plasticity.
Email: faith.leri@ou.edu
Link, Austin
MS student with Dr. Gavin Woodruff
Research interests include evolutionary biology, developmental genetics, speciation, fitness/selection, ecology, and how each of these fields intersect with each other.
Email: Austin.C.Link-1@ou.edu
Lock, Lauren
Ph.D. student with Dr. Dan Becker.
Research interests include relationships between wildlife disease dynamics and landscape ecology.
Email: laurenlock@ou.edu
Lumula, Harriet
Ph.D. student with Dr. JP Masly. BS Missouri University of Science and Technology.
Research interests include genetics and evolutionary biology.
Email: hklumula@ou.edu
McCarthy, Rionach
PhD student with Dr. Laura Stein; B.S., Washington State University
Research interests: fish cognition, behavioral syndromes, social learning in fishes
Email: Justine.R.Mccarthy-1@ou.edu
McLimans, Chris
Ph.D. student with Dr. Karl D. Hambright.
Research interests include aquatic ecology, microbial genomics, and climate change
Email: Christopher.J.Mclimans-1@ou.edu
Meacham, Kailey
MS student with Dr. Hayley Lanier, BS Kansas State University
Research interests include mammalian response to change, genomics, and alpine ecosystems.
Email: meacham@ou.edu
Minkin, Eve
M.S. student with Dr. Dave Hambright, BS from Eckerd College.
Email: eve.minkin@ou.edu
Nielsen, Forrest
MS student with Dr. Cameron Siler; BS Colorado State University
Research Interests include conservation biology and herpetofauna population ecology.
Email: Forrest.P.Nielsen-1@ou.edu
Nourbakhsh, Mehrnoush
Ph.D. student with Dr. Michael Markham; BSc Isfahan University, Iran; MSc National Institute of Polytechnic and University, France.
Research interests include neurobiology in weakly electric fish.
Email: mrey@ou.edu
Oakley, William
Ph.D. student with Dr. Eli Bridge; BA College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, MA The Citadel, Charleston, SC
Research interests include migration and population ecology of songbirds, wintering ecology of tidal marsh sparrows, the technology used to track migratory songbirds and science education and citizen science.
Email: wf.oakley@ou.edu
O’Dell, Samuel
PhD student with Dr. James Hung; BS Humboldt State University, MS San Diego State University
Research interests include pollinators, pollination, plant-pollinator networks, applied ecology, and biogeography.
Email: Samuel.ODell-1@ou.edu
Osterhoudt, Noah
MS student with Dr. Alex Bentz and Dr. Jeff Kelly; B.A. Georgia Southern University
Research interests include behavioral endocrinology and spatial ecology in raptors, primarily New World Vultures.
Email: nosterhoudt@ou.edu
Pedraza Marrón, Carmen
Ph.D. student with Dr. Ricardo Betancur; BS and MSc Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo
Research interests elucidating biogeographical and evolutionary processes shaping population structure and species diversity patterns in marine ecosystems.
Email: carmen.pedraza@ou.edu
Perera, Nu
Ph.D. student with Dr. Jeremy Ross, M.S. from Wichita State Univ.
Research interests include wintering ecology of migratory birds and the conservation of birds.
Email: nuperera@ou.edu
Premathilake, Dineesha
Ph.D. student with Dr. Katharine Marske; BS University of Kelaniya (Sri Lanka), M.S. University of Central Oklahoma
Research interests include comparative phylogeography, macroecology, and large-scale patterns of genetic variation of vertebrates.
Email: dineeshapr@ou.edu
Rahman, Masud
Ph.D. student with Dr. Gavin Woodruff
Email: Md.Masudur.Rahman-1@ou.edu
Reich, Tyler
PhD student with Dr. Ingo Schlupp; BS University of Oklahoma
Research interests include evolutionary ecology, sexual selection, asexuality, and ichthyology.
Email: treich@ou.edu
Roistacher, Alicia
PhD student with Dr. Dan Becker
Research interests include bat immunology, bat conservation, host-pathogen coevolution, wildlife physiology, disease ecology, molecular and microbiology
Email: aroistacher@ou.edu
Rosas-Puchuri, Ulises
Ph.D. student with Dr. Ricardo Betancur. BS Biological Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (Peru), M.S. The George Washington University.
Research interests include emerging approaches for phylogenetic analysis.
Email: Ulises.F.Rosas.Puchuri-1@ou.edu
Santaquiteria Gil, Aintzane
Ph.D. student with Dr. Ricardo Betancur; BS University of Navarra (Spain), M.S. University of Tromsø (Norway)
Research interests include fish evolution, phylogenomics and biogeography.
Email: a.santaquiteria@ou.edu
Simon, Peniel
PhD student with Dr. Ari Berkowitz; Bsc. Human Anatomy
Research Interests: neurobiology, regulation of neural mechanisms underlying behavior.
Email: peniel.o.simon-1@ou.edu
Smith, Caden
MS student with Dr. Ingo Schlupp; BS Mississippi State University
Research interests include behavioral ecology, sexual selection, and speciation.
Email: Caden.D.Smith-1@ou.edu
Smith, Sierra
Ph.D. candidate with Dr. Cameron Siler; BS University of Oklahoma.
Research interests include microbiomes, ecology, venomics, genomics, and herpetology.
Email: sierrasmith@ou.edu; https://www.sierranicolesmith.com/
Strand, Alva
Ph.D. student with Dr. Jeffrey Kelly.
Research interests include the ecology of seasonal avian migration, the impacts of climate change on migration, and radar aeroecology.
Email: alvastrand@ou.edu
Theriot, Miranda
Ph.D. student with Dr. Hayley Lanier, M.S. University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
Research interests include body size trends and responses to recent climate change in mammals.
Email: mirandaktheriot@ou.edu
Trankina, Grace
M.S. student with Dr. Jeffrey Kelly; BS University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Research interests include migratory birds, artificial light at night, and radar aeroecology.
Email: gtrankina@ou.edu
Triemstra, Abigail
M.S. student with Dr. Eli Bridge; BS Calvin Universtiy
Research interests include avian ecology and ecotoxicology.
Email: abigail.a.triemstra-1@ou.edu
Troyer, Emily
Ph.D. student with Dr. Dahiana Arcila; BA & BS Ohio State University, M.S. King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia
Research interests include phylogenomics and fish evolution.
Email: emily.troyer@ou.edu
Turnley, Ben
PhD student with Dr. James Hung; BA Central College; MS University of New Mexico
Research interests include native bee community ecology, conservation biology, and global change biology.
Email: benturnley@ou.edu
Verrett, Taylor
Ph.D. student with Dr. Daniel Becker; BS Texas A&M University; M.S. Western Kentucky University.
Research interests center on songbird disease ecology, including migration-parasite interactions and urban ecology.
Email: tbverrett@ou.edu
Williams, Alyssa
PhD student with Dr. Luca Fornelli; MSc Cardiff University, BS & BA University of Tulsa
Research interests include cancer cell biology, genetics, and therapeutics
Email: Alyssa.A.Williams-1@ou.edu
Wingert, Jackson
MS student with Dr. James Hung; BS from Texas A&M University.
Research interests include insect ecology, parasitology, and biodiversity.
Email: Jackson.T.Wingert-1@ou.edu
Wiser, Shannon
Ph.D. student with Dr. Michael Markham; BS & MS, University of Oklahoma
Research interests include animal communication, biophysics, and the behavioral and metabolic constraints caused by ecological changes.
Email: shannonwiser@ou.edu
Zumpano, Kyle
Ph.D. student with Dr. Chris Lemon.
Research interests include sensory neurobiology, neural circuits, and taste and thermosensation.
Email: kylezump@ou.edu
