College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences

Graduate Students

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Abbo, Tito

tito.abbo@email.ucr.edu
AdvisorAmy Litt

Interests

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Adhikari, Swopnil

swopnil.adhikari@email.ucr.edu
AdvisorPolly Campbell

Interests:

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Alam, Zul

zul.alam@email.ucr.edu
AdvisorAlan Brelsford

Interests: Supergene evolution and population genetics

Samantha Apodaca rev
Apodaca, Samantha

sapod004@ucr.edu

AdvisorDr. Crystal Reynaga

Interests: I am interested in how tendon microstructure in frogs impacts their whole-body performance across different locomotor modes. 

 

Mia Ashby
Ashby, Mia

mia.ashby@email.ucr.edu
Advisor: Kurt Anderson

Interests: Range shifts in alpine aquatic ecosystems, endangered species temperature resilience and conservation

Erik Axlid
Axlid, Erik

eaxli001@ucr.edu
Advisor: Dr. Tim Higham

Interests: Fish biomechanics and functional morphology.

Juliana Base

 

Base, Juliana

juliana.base@email.ucr.edu
Advisor:  Ted Garland

Interests: Evolutionary physiology, behavior, voluntary exercise, olfaction

Miranda R 2021
Buckley, Miranda

miranda.buckley@email.ucr.edu 
Advisor: Louis Santiago

Interests: I study holoparasitic plants, because someone has to. My research focuses on their role in species coexistence and biodiversity, combining ecophysiology and community ecology across lab and field work. I explore dynamics between holoparasites and their hosts in arid landscapes. I’m evaluating their ecological influence with a view to conservation priorities, despite their complete failure to behave like respectable photosynthesizers.

 

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Burr, Audrey

audrey.burr@email.ucr.edu
Advisor:  Joel L Sachs

Interests

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Cabrera, Haley

haley.cabrera@email.ucr.edu
AdvisorTed Garland 

Interests: Exercise physiology, evolutionary physiology

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Cadima, Zachary

zachary.cadima@email.ucr.edu
AdvisorTim Higham

Interests:

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Campagnari, Bianca

bcamp061@ucr.edu

AdvisorDr. Joel Sachs

Interests: Evolution of rhizobia symbiosis

Cartee, Marissa Profile
Cartee, Marissa

marissa.cartee@email.ucr.edu 
AdvisorDavid Reznick

Interests Post copulatory sexual selection, sperm storage, Poeciliidae

Jackson Caudle
Caudle, Jackson

jackson.caudle@email.ucr.edu 
AdvisorMark S. Springer

Interests Interested in the in gene loss and how it effects the evolution of complex traits.

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Cerda, Karina

karina.cerda@email.ucr.edu

Interests:

Soumyadeep Chatterjee
Chatterjee, Soumyadeep

schat030@ucr.edu
Advisor: Christopher Clark


Interests: Evolution of vision and color in hummingbirds

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Cobos, Anthony

anthony.cobos@email.ucr.edu
AdvisorNatalie Holt

Interests

Holland Conwell
Conwell, Holland

hconw002@ucr.edu

AdvisorEllie Armstrong

Interests: Large carnivore conservation genomics.

Sophie Crehan
Crehan, Sophie

sophie.crehan@email.ucr.edu
AdvisorMarko Spasojevic

Interests: Forest community ecology

Oscar Cuellar Valencia
Cuellar Valencia, Oscar M. 

ocuel002@ucr.edu

AdvisorDaniel Moen

Interests: Evolution, form and function, taxonomy, frogs

 
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Datta, Poorvi

pdatt006@ucr.edu

Advisor: Dr. Gena Sbeglia

Interests: Researching strategies to increase accessibility for students with disabilities in university biology courses using principles of universal design.

Jimena Dominguez
Dominguez, Jimena

mailto:jdomi103@ucr.edu

AdvisorWendy Saltzman

Interests: Auditory neurophysiology, bioacoustics, animal behavior, sensory plasticity

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Esplin, Raya

raya.esplin@email.ucr.edu
 

Interests

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Firebaugh Ornelas, Ariana

afire001@ucr.edu
AdvisorMarko Spasojevic
AdvisorLoralee Larios

Interests

S Gangothri
Gangothri, Sivaraj

sgang016@ucr.edu
Advisor: Kate Ostevik

Interests: Hybridization and speciation, plant-pollinator interactions, Floral traits, Plant ecology

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Gerald-Yamasaki, Cailley

cgera005@ucr.edu

AdvisorTim Higham

Interests: Biomechanics of marine invertebrates and fish, animal locomotion, comparative physiology

Ria Ghosh
Ghosh, Ria

rghos012@ucr.edu
Advisor: Kurt Anderson

Interests: Freshwater Ecology, Community Ecology. Urban Ecology, Impacts of Anthropogenic stressors in freshwaters

Nicolas Graver
Graver, Nicolas

nicolas.graver@email.ucr.edu
AdvisorHelen Regan

Interests: Plant community ecology, aridlands fire ecology/management, climate impacts to desert trees, population modeling

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Guenther, Joseph

joseph.guenther@email.ucr.edu
AdvisorWendy Saltzman

Interests

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Hepinstall, Tucker

tucker.heptinstall@email.ucr.edu

Interests:

Amanda Herbert
Herbert, Amanda

amanda.herbert@email.ucr.edu 
AdvisorDavid Reznick

Interests: Functional morphology and biomechanics of fish feeding and locomotion

Tao Hernandez Arellano
Hernandez Arellano, Tao

thern049@ucr.edu
AdvisorDavid Reznick

Interests: Taxonomy, Biogeography, Evolution and ecology of fishes.

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Ibarra Zea, Marisol

marisol.ibarrazea@email.ucr.edu

AdvisorTed Garland

Interests:

Aarul Jain
 
Jain, Aarul

ajain126@ucr.edu
Advisor: Christopher Clark  
Interests: I want to study acoustics and flight biomechanics of hummingbirds.

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Kashyap, Mayank

mayank.kashyap@email.ucr.edu
AdvisorDavid Reznick

Interests

 

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Knoles, Emma

emma.knoles@email.ucr.edu


AdvisorPolly Campbell

Interests

William Lampman
Lampman, William-Cael

alamp011@ucr.edu
Advisor: Theodore Garland Jr.
Interests: I am interested in the evolution of behavior and personality in social mammalian species! Currently, I study the behavioral profile of High Runner mice selectively bred for voluntary wheel running.

Lay Conner Profile
Lay, Conner

connor.lay@email.ucr.edu 
AdvisorPaul Nabity

Interests: I am interested in how plants interact with their abiotic and biotic environments. Specifically hoping to better understand how environmental changes such as habitat fragmentation and climate variation contribute to genetic diversity​ and adaptation.

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Leung, Elisabeth

elisabeth.leung@email.ucr.edu

AdvisorEllie Armstrong

Interests: Conservation genomics of the island fox to understand evolutionary dynamics of small population recovery after bottlenecking events

Harrison Lin
Lin, Harrison

harrison.lin@email.ucr.edu
AdvisorPolly Campbell

Interests: Speciation, Reproductive Barriers, Population Genetics

S Louden EEOB
Louden, Sam

sloud003@ucr.edu
Advisor: Loralee Larios

Interests: Community ecology, restoration ecology, plant community assembly, seed predators, synzoochory

Gina Lucas
Lucas, Gina

gluca001@ucr.edu
Advisor: Kieran Samuk

Interests: Evolution of recombination rate and chromosomal inversions.

Tabitha Martinez
Martinez, Tabitha

tmart104@ucr.edu

AdvisorDr. Christopher Clark

Interests: Ecomorphology of quiet flight in Strigiforms.

Emily Maynard
Maynard, Emily

emily.maynard@email.ucr.edu
AdvisorChristopher Catano

Interests: Bee and plant community ecology, forecasting outcomes of functional community diversity in restored ecosystems, and management for climate resilience. 

Erin McCann
McCann, Erin

erin.mccann@email.ucr.edu 
AdvisorMarko Spasojevic

Interests

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McElwee-Adame, Alexandra

alexandra.mcelweeadame@email.ucr.edu

Interests

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Mendivil, Zara 

zmend007@ucr.edu

AdvisorDr. Crystal Reynaga

Interests:

Rajesh Neupane
Neupane, Rajesh

rajesh.neupane@email.ucr.edu
Advisor: Kate Ostevik

Interests Adaptation, Contemporary Evolution, Crop Wild Relatives, Crop Climate Resiliency

Brittney Nguyen
Nguyen, Brittney

brittney.nguyen@email.ucr.edu
Advisor: Lucy Delaney

Interests Macroevolutionary patterns of angiosperm diversification, computational modeling, emotion in student learning and retention

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Ortiz-Velez, Adrian

adrian.ortizvelez@email.ucr.edu

Interests

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Ostovar, Talieh

talieh.ostovar@email.ucr.edu
Advisor: Amy Litt

Interests

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Palanchon, Marie

marie.palanchon@email.ucr.edu

AdvisorJessica Purcell

Interests:

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Peterman, Spencer

spencer.peterman@email.ucr.edu
AdvisorJoel L Sachs

Interests: Evolutionary ecology, symbiosis, plant-microbe interactions

 

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Plaza, Mikhail

mikhail.plaza@email.ucr.edu
 

AdvisorKieran Samuk

Interests

Dirk Plunkett
Plunkett, Dirk

dplun001@ucr.edu
AdvisorLoralee Larios

Interests: Restoration ecology, community ecology, mycorrhizal fungi, soil legacies, plant fungi mutualisms

Gary Qin
Qin, Gary

gary.qin@email.ucr.edu
AdvisorHelen Regan

Interests Freshwater ecology, conservation biology, endangered species

Gary's Research Website

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Reitman, Theodore

theodore.reitman@email.ucr.edu
AdvisorKate Ostevik

Interests: Ecological differentiation, genetic elements, and speciation in sunflowers (Helianthus)

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Remington, Michael

michael.remington@email.ucr.edu
Advisor: Tim E. Higham

Interests

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Shirazi, Seth

soroush.shirazi@email.ucr.edu
AdvisorTim Higham

Interests: Evolutionary biomechanics, form & function, and genetics.

Seth's Research Website

Brennan Silva
Silva, Brennan

bsilv008@ucr.edu
Advisor: Kate Ostevik

Interests: Chromosomal Evolution, Speciation, Hybridization, Reproductive Barriers

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Singh, Amber

amber.singh@email.ucr.edu

Interests:

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Stickrod, Morgan

mstic002@ucr.edu

AdvisorDr. Amy Litt

Interests:

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Sudoko, Samantha

ssudo001@ucr.edu

Advisor: Dr. Alan Brelsford

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Sumarli, Alexandra

alexandra.sumarli@email.ucr.edu
Advisor: Kieran Samuk

Interests

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Thai, Kevin

kevin.thai001@email.ucr.edu
AdvisorLeonard Nunney

Interests: Evolution of cancer suppression.

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Tofflemire, Michael

michael.tofflemire@email.ucr.edu
Advisor: Mark S. Springer

Interests

Mary Tucker
Tucker, Mary

mtuck015@ucr.edu


AdvisorChristopher Clark

Interests Bird migration, biologgers, MOTUS, desert adaptations

Marina Vollin
Vollin, Marina

marina.vollin@email.ucr.edu
AdvisorTim Higham

Interests: Biomechanics, herpetology, animal behavior, museum science

Brooke Wallasch
Wallasch, Brooke

bwall028@ucr.edu

Advisor: Dr. Kate Ostevik

Interests: I am interested in alpine ecology and evolution. My project focuses on exploring the intersection between community ecology and genetics by using molecular tools to understand how alpine plant communities are responding to climate change.

Research Interests: Alpine ecology, Community Ecology, Evolution and Global Change Biology

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Wanjiku, Margaret

margaret.wanjiku@email.ucr.edu

Interests:

Tyler Whitacre
Whitacre, Tyler

tyler.whitacre@email.ucr.edu
Advisor: Natalie Holt

Interests My dissertation work centers around the effect of inertia on muscle contraction dynamics. I use a combination of in-vitro experimental manipulations and computational work to approach this question, ultimately aiming to understand how muscle contraction dynamics change across size and recruitment.

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Whitehead, Natalie

natalie.whitehead@email.ucr.edu
AdvisorTed Garland

Interests: Animal Behavior, Behavioral Evolution, Ecology, Epigenetic Inheritance  

Jenny Wong
Wong, Jenny

j.wong@email.ucr.edu
Advisor: Christopher Clark  
 

Interests: My dissertation focuses on the mating system of Costa’s Hummingbird and integrates extensive fieldwork with molecular analyses. I explore how direct and indirect benefits shape female mate choice by collecting data on male territorial behavior, phenotypic traits, and genetic samples from both males and nestlings. Through this work, I aim to uncover the traits that drive male reproductive success.

Jenny's Research Website

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Wu, Joseph

joseph.wu001@email.ucr.edu

AdvisorTim Higham

Interests: Biomechanics and functional morphology

Max Zeltsar
Zeltsar, Max

mzelt001@ucr.edu

AdvisorEllie Armstrong

Interests: Conservation genomics

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