Graduate Students
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Benjamin, Neal
nbenjam2@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Swine veterinarian interested in the links between population genetics and health outcomes in pigs; diversity of immune system alleles among wild, domesticated, and intensively bred suids (advisor: Al Roca) |
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Bielanski, Joe
jbiela6@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student - PEEC Understanding the genetic basis and mechanisms underlying the evolution of social behavior and using artificial selection/domestication as a model for deeper understanding of evolution as a whole (advisor: Anna Kukekova) |
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Brown, Noah
nbrown12@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student - PEEC Effects of residual agrochemicals on soil/plant-associated microbes, with a specific interest in their impact on fungal endophytes and mycorrhiza (advisor: Anthony Yannarell) |
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Chakraborty, Sulagna
schkrbr4@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Vector-borne diseases and epidemiology of infectious diseases, focusing on the eco-epidemiology of a tick-borne disease in India called Kyasanur Forest Disease. I want to combine my interest in infectious disease with my background in public health and microbiology as well as use One Health approaches towards disease control and prevention. (advisor: Brian Allan) |
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Chen, Yutao
yutaoc4@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Using biological framework to solve engineering problems; devising bioinspired designs incorporating desired functionalities. (advisor: Marianne Alleyne) |
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Cheng, Vivian
vivianc3@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student - PEEC (advisor: Ripan Malhi) |
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Cloud, Becky
rcloud3@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Disease ecology, community ecology, mosquito ecology and applied mosquito control (advisors: Carla Caceres, Brian Allan, Becky Smith) |
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Coulter, Austin
agc6@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student - PEEC The physiological, neurological, and genetic impacts of domestication on animals (advisor: Anna Kukekova) |
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Cox, Maria
mlcox3@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Paleogenomic analysis of immune change and function, as well as molecular identification of pathogens; particularly, how genes associated with immune function change through time, especially in populations undergoing long term stress (advisor: Ripan Malhi) |
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Crawford, Reed
reeddc2@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Thermoregulatory behavior and artificial roost selection of bats (advisor: Joy O'Keefe) |
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Cucalon Tamayo, Roberto
rvc4@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student How populations of species are evolutionarily related, and how their evolutionary history and biogeographic patterns can help us explain our current world (advisor: Milton Tan) |
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Cullum, Jeannette
jcullum2@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Environmental drivers of infectious disease in Daphnia (advisor: Carla Cáceres) |
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D'Alessio, Lorenzo
lmd2@illinois.edu 287 NRB |
Graduate Student Cophylogenetics of ectoparasitic feather lice in the genus Brueelia and their endosymbionts (advisor: Kevin Johnson) |
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Daleo, Maris
mdaleo2@illlinois.edu |
Graduate Student My research focuses on the health of confiscated turtles. Specifically, I am investigating how to coordinate the confiscation of animals victim of the illegal wildlife trade and create an effective database/communication method to better handle the confiscated turtles, as well as study the impacts of the diseases that those turtles are exposed to, particularly ranavirus. (advisor: Matt Allender) |
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Dominguez, Jonah
jonahsd2@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student - PEEC Inter- and intra-species interactions; community and behavioral ecology; host-parasite interactions; ornithology (advisor: Mark Hauber) |
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Fernandez-Duque, Facundo
facundo2@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Social dynamics, behavioral ecology, parent-offspring relationships, functional neurogenomics, mating strategies, phenotypic plasticity, decision making (advisor: Mark Hauber) |
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Fitzgerald, Katheryn
kvf2@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student- PEEC Observing immunological and physiological impacts of the endangered Indiana bat in response to forest management practices (advisors: Joy O'Keefe and Cory Suski) |
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Goertz, Isaiah
igoertz2@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Analysis of the evolution of pathogenicity of bacteria and viruses, resulting from differing environmental impacts and factors (advisor: Rachel Whitaker) |
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Goodson, Devin
devinjg3@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student - PEEC Community-based conservation, social-ecological systems, human-bird interactions (advisors: Mark Hauber & Carena van Riper) |
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Graves, Brian
brianag3@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student - PEEC Genetic changes over time in hominins and organisms impacted by their spread (advisor: Ripan Malhi) |
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Hyde, Charles
cahyde2@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Plant-soil microbial interactions: the effects of bioenergy crop root exudation on microbial communities in agricultural soils (advisor: Wendy Yang) |
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Karatgi, Ratna
karatgi2@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Sexual selection: Intrasexual competition, mate choice, signalling and signal evolution (advisor: Becky Fuller) |
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Long, Kira
kira2@illinois.edu 217 Turner Hall |
Graduate Student Investigating the supposedly stable hybrid zone of two manakin species in Panama; examining the effects of sexual and natural selection on hybrids and parental species (advisor: Jeff Brawn) |
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McFarland, Derek
derekbm2@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Ecology of tick-borne pathogens and the wildlife populations they infect within the context of climate change and human encroachment (advisor: Brian Allan) |
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Moorhead, Kaitlin
kam16@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Investigating health in free-ranging Blanding’s turtles using novel diagnostics and statistical modeling (advisor: Matt Allender) |
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Munoz, Maria
mariam6@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Investigating how anthropogenic changes such as climate change can affect the prevalence and distribution of vector-borne diseases (advisor: Brian Allan) |
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Neumann, Kevin
kevinn4@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Behavioral ecology, genomics, and plasticity in social animals (advisors: Alison Bell and Andrew Suarez) |
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Ooi, Sean
sooi3@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Biogeochemistry and microbial ecology of nitrous oxide production and consumption in soils (advisor: Wendy Yang) |
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Otolski, Lauren
otolski2@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Tropical ecology, fungal-plant interactions, and microbial community assembly (advisor: James Dalling) |
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Pallo Rivadeneira, Fabian
fabianp2@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student - PEEC Conservation biology with a focus on finding potential species replacements on fragmented habitats (advisor: Ken Paige) |
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Ricks, Kevin
ricks3@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Microbial community and evolutionary ecology, evolution of symbiosis (advisor: Anthony Yannarell) |
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Saboowala, Sana
sanas4@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Using a multidisciplinary approach to study the ways in which trauma is physically embodied and inherited, focusing on potential epigenetic effects of border creation during the 1947 Partition of South Asia using molecular methods and oral histories (advisor: Ripan Malhi) |
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Sawyer, Elle
elleks2@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Understanding the spread and impact of invasive species, particularly Rusty Crayfish (advisor: Eric Larson) |
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Soto, Katharina
kmsoto2@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Behavioral and conservation biology and evolution (advisor: Eva Fischer) |
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Soto Patiño, Juliana
dorajs2@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student - PEEC Ornithology, ecology and evolution of host-parasite systems, specially birds and its ectoparasite lice, citizen/participatory science (Advisor: Kevin Johnson) |
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Stuart, Sarai
saraihs2@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Evolution of social life and mechanisms that underpin behaviors in the colony environment (advisor: Gene Robinson) |
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Tan, Grace
gracedt2@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Plant biology, specifically water-use efficiency and photosynthetic efficiency relative to sustainable agriculture (advisor: Andrew Leakey) |
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Venu, Malavika
mv28@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student - PEEC Understanding the genetic and ecological mechanisms that dictate the evolution of social behavior in insect societies (Advisor: Gene Robinson) |
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Virrueta Herrera, Stephany
svirru2@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Ornithology and phylogentics, specifically the evolutionary patterns between birds and their parasitic feather lice (advisor: Kevin Johnson). |
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Whitmer, Emily
emilyrw4k@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Wildlife veterinarian studying epidemiology and population health with a focus on marine mammals and birds of the Punta San Juan Reserve, Peru. (advisor: Matthew Allender) |
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Winnicki, Sarah
sarahkw2@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Avian growth and development, parental care behavior, and brood parasitism (advisors: TJ Benson and Mark Hauber) |
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Zackery, Fahren
fzacke2@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Applying the dilution effect to the field of human microbiome research in order to determine if microbial diversity correlates with human health outcomes (advisor: Brian Allan) |
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Zeitzer, Ilana
zeitzer2@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student Plant ecology and plant-fungal mutualistic interaction (advisor: Anthony Yannarell) |
![]() Benjamin, Neal nbenjam2@illinois.edu Graduate Student Swine veterinarian interested in the links between population genetics and health outcomes in pigs; diversity of immune system alleles among wild, domesticated, and intensively bred suids (advisor: Al Roca) |
![]() Bielanski, Joe jbiela6@illinois.edu Graduate Student - PEEC Understanding the genetic basis and mechanisms underlying the evolution of social behavior and using artificial selection/domestication as a model for deeper understanding of evolution as a whole (advisor: Anna Kukekova) |
![]() Brown, Noah nbrown12@illinois.edu Graduate Student - PEEC Effects of residual agrochemicals on soil/plant-associated microbes, with a specific interest in their impact on fungal endophytes and mycorrhiza (advisor: Anthony Yannarell) |
![]() Chakraborty, Sulagna schkrbr4@illinois.edu Graduate Student Vector-borne diseases and epidemiology of infectious diseases, focusing on the eco-epidemiology of a tick-borne disease in India called Kyasanur Forest Disease. I want to combine my interest in infectious disease with my background in public health and microbiology as well as use One Health approaches towards disease control and prevention. (advisor: Brian Allan) |
![]() Chen, Yutao yutaoc4@illinois.edu Graduate Student Using biological framework to solve engineering problems; devising bioinspired designs incorporating desired functionalities. (advisor: Marianne Alleyne) |
![]() Cheng, Vivian vivianc3@illinois.edu Graduate Student - PEEC (advisor: Ripan Malhi) |
![]() Cloud, Becky rcloud3@illinois.edu Graduate Student Disease ecology, community ecology, mosquito ecology and applied mosquito control (advisors: Carla Caceres, Brian Allan, Becky Smith) |
![]() Coulter, Austin agc6@illinois.edu Graduate Student - PEEC The physiological, neurological, and genetic impacts of domestication on animals (advisor: Anna Kukekova) |
![]() Cox, Maria mlcox3@illinois.edu Graduate Student Paleogenomic analysis of immune change and function, as well as molecular identification of pathogens; particularly, how genes associated with immune function change through time, especially in populations undergoing long term stress (advisor: Ripan Malhi) |
![]() Crawford, Reed reeddc2@illinois.edu Graduate Student Thermoregulatory behavior and artificial roost selection of bats (advisor: Joy O'Keefe) |
![]() Cucalon Tamayo, Roberto rvc4@illinois.edu Graduate Student How populations of species are evolutionarily related, and how their evolutionary history and biogeographic patterns can help us explain our current world (advisor: Milton Tan) |
![]() Cullum, Jeannette jcullum2@illinois.edu Graduate Student Environmental drivers of infectious disease in Daphnia (advisor: Carla Cáceres) |
![]() D'Alessio, Lorenzo lmd2@illinois.edu 287 NRB Graduate Student Cophylogenetics of ectoparasitic feather lice in the genus Brueelia and their endosymbionts (advisor: Kevin Johnson) |
![]() Daleo, Maris mdaleo2@illlinois.edu Graduate Student My research focuses on the health of confiscated turtles. Specifically, I am investigating how to coordinate the confiscation of animals victim of the illegal wildlife trade and create an effective database/communication method to better handle the confiscated turtles, as well as study the impacts of the diseases that those turtles are exposed to, particularly ranavirus. (advisor: Matt Allender) |
![]() Dominguez, Jonah jonahsd2@illinois.edu Graduate Student - PEEC Inter- and intra-species interactions; community and behavioral ecology; host-parasite interactions; ornithology (advisor: Mark Hauber) |
Fernandez-Duque, Facundo facundo2@illinois.edu Graduate Student Social dynamics, behavioral ecology, parent-offspring relationships, functional neurogenomics, mating strategies, phenotypic plasticity, decision making (advisor: Mark Hauber) |
![]() Fitzgerald, Katheryn kvf2@illinois.edu Graduate Student- PEEC Observing immunological and physiological impacts of the endangered Indiana bat in response to forest management practices (advisors: Joy O'Keefe and Cory Suski) |
![]() Goertz, Isaiah igoertz2@illinois.edu Graduate Student Analysis of the evolution of pathogenicity of bacteria and viruses, resulting from differing environmental impacts and factors (advisor: Rachel Whitaker) |
![]() Goodson, Devin devinjg3@illinois.edu Graduate Student - PEEC Community-based conservation, social-ecological systems, human-bird interactions (advisors: Mark Hauber & Carena van Riper) |
![]() Graves, Brian brianag3@illinois.edu Graduate Student - PEEC Genetic changes over time in hominins and organisms impacted by their spread (advisor: Ripan Malhi) |
![]() Hyde, Charles cahyde2@illinois.edu Graduate Student Plant-soil microbial interactions: the effects of bioenergy crop root exudation on microbial communities in agricultural soils (advisor: Wendy Yang) |
![]() Karatgi, Ratna karatgi2@illinois.edu Graduate Student Sexual selection: Intrasexual competition, mate choice, signalling and signal evolution (advisor: Becky Fuller) |
![]() Long, Kira kira2@illinois.edu 217 Turner Hall Graduate Student Investigating the supposedly stable hybrid zone of two manakin species in Panama; examining the effects of sexual and natural selection on hybrids and parental species (advisor: Jeff Brawn) |
![]() McFarland, Derek derekbm2@illinois.edu Graduate Student Ecology of tick-borne pathogens and the wildlife populations they infect within the context of climate change and human encroachment (advisor: Brian Allan) |
![]() Moorhead, Kaitlin kam16@illinois.edu Graduate Student Investigating health in free-ranging Blanding’s turtles using novel diagnostics and statistical modeling (advisor: Matt Allender) |
![]() Munoz, Maria mariam6@illinois.edu Graduate Student Investigating how anthropogenic changes such as climate change can affect the prevalence and distribution of vector-borne diseases (advisor: Brian Allan) |
Neumann, Kevin kevinn4@illinois.edu Graduate Student Behavioral ecology, genomics, and plasticity in social animals (advisors: Alison Bell and Andrew Suarez) |
Ooi, Sean sooi3@illinois.edu Graduate Student Biogeochemistry and microbial ecology of nitrous oxide production and consumption in soils (advisor: Wendy Yang) |
![]() Otolski, Lauren otolski2@illinois.edu Graduate Student Tropical ecology, fungal-plant interactions, and microbial community assembly (advisor: James Dalling) |
![]() Pallo Rivadeneira, Fabian fabianp2@illinois.edu Graduate Student - PEEC Conservation biology with a focus on finding potential species replacements on fragmented habitats (advisor: Ken Paige) |
![]() Ricks, Kevin ricks3@illinois.edu Graduate Student Microbial community and evolutionary ecology, evolution of symbiosis (advisor: Anthony Yannarell) |
![]() Saboowala, Sana sanas4@illinois.edu Graduate Student Using a multidisciplinary approach to study the ways in which trauma is physically embodied and inherited, focusing on potential epigenetic effects of border creation during the 1947 Partition of South Asia using molecular methods and oral histories (advisor: Ripan Malhi) |
Sawyer, Elle elleks2@illinois.edu Graduate Student Understanding the spread and impact of invasive species, particularly Rusty Crayfish (advisor: Eric Larson) |
![]() Soto, Katharina kmsoto2@illinois.edu Graduate Student Behavioral and conservation biology and evolution (advisor: Eva Fischer) |
Soto Patiño, Juliana dorajs2@illinois.edu Graduate Student - PEEC Ornithology, ecology and evolution of host-parasite systems, specially birds and its ectoparasite lice, citizen/participatory science (Advisor: Kevin Johnson) |
![]() Stuart, Sarai saraihs2@illinois.edu Graduate Student Evolution of social life and mechanisms that underpin behaviors in the colony environment (advisor: Gene Robinson) |
![]() Tan, Grace gracedt2@illinois.edu Graduate Student Plant biology, specifically water-use efficiency and photosynthetic efficiency relative to sustainable agriculture (advisor: Andrew Leakey) |
![]() Venu, Malavika mv28@illinois.edu Graduate Student - PEEC Understanding the genetic and ecological mechanisms that dictate the evolution of social behavior in insect societies (Advisor: Gene Robinson) |
![]() Virrueta Herrera, Stephany svirru2@illinois.edu Graduate Student Ornithology and phylogentics, specifically the evolutionary patterns between birds and their parasitic feather lice (advisor: Kevin Johnson). |
![]() Whitmer, Emily emilyrw4k@illinois.edu Graduate Student Wildlife veterinarian studying epidemiology and population health with a focus on marine mammals and birds of the Punta San Juan Reserve, Peru. (advisor: Matthew Allender) |
![]() Winnicki, Sarah sarahkw2@illinois.edu Graduate Student Avian growth and development, parental care behavior, and brood parasitism (advisors: TJ Benson and Mark Hauber) |
Zackery, Fahren fzacke2@illinois.edu Graduate Student Applying the dilution effect to the field of human microbiome research in order to determine if microbial diversity correlates with human health outcomes (advisor: Brian Allan) |
![]() Zeitzer, Ilana zeitzer2@illinois.edu Graduate Student Plant ecology and plant-fungal mutualistic interaction (advisor: Anthony Yannarell) |