School of
Integrative Biology
Graduate Students
![]() |
Adaime, Marc-Elie |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Development of phylogenetically-informed computer vision methods for fossil pollen recognition and the study of long-term trends in plant evolution Advisor: Surangi W. Punyasena |
![]() |
Arceneaux, Miles |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Ecological and behavioral plant-insect interactions of pest species and how to combat against the damage they cause Advisor: Esther Ngumbi |
![]() |
Barley, Tristan |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Behavioral effects of competition between native bees and honeybees Advisor: Adam G Dolezal |
![]() |
Behrens, Colby |
Graduate Student -
Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Examining genetic mechanisms influencing behavior in three-spined stickleback fish Advisor: Alison Bell |
![]() |
Bello, Lizzie |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Bioinspired design and materials Advisor: Marianne Alleyne |
![]() |
Belloso, Natalie |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Anthropogenic climate change effects on plants, soil, crops, and microbial communities Advisor: Katy D. Heath |
![]() |
Benjamin, Neal |
Graduate Student -
PEEC 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) Advisor: Alfred Roca |
![]() |
Beuchat, Gabriel |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Advisor: Li-Qing Chen |
![]() |
Bhat, Shriram |
Graduate Student -
Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Analysis of genomics and evolution of antifreeze proteins in various species using computational methods Advisor: C.-H. Christina Cheng |
![]() |
Bielanski, Joe |
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) Advisor: Anna Kukekova |
![]() |
Brockelsby, Kasey |
Graduate Student -
Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Speciation dynamics and evolutionary morphology; sexual dimorphism in unpaired fins in fish Advisor: Becky Fuller |
![]() |
Brown, Morgan |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Leafhopper biodiversity and conservation Advisor: Christopher Dietrich |
![]() |
Brown, Noah |
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) Advisor: Anthony Yannarell |
![]() |
Carranza, Rebecca |
Graduate Student -
Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Examining interspecies competition, behavioral ecology, and mutualisms of invasive ant species. Advisor: Andrew V. Suarez |
![]() |
Carroll, Xavier |
Graduate Student -
Entomology The relationships between insects and ambient factors of their physical environment Advisor: Marianne Alleyne |
|
Chabain, Jules |
Graduate Student -
Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Former paleontologist puzzled by animal weaponery and the linkage between shape, function and performance; using biomechanics, ct-scanned data, and comparative anatomy Advisor: Philip S L Anderson |
![]() |
Chakraborty, Sulagna |
Graduate Student -
PEEC 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) Advisor: Brian Allan |
![]() |
Chamberlain, Mac |
Graduate Student -
Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Behavioral ecology, species recognition, and avian brood parasitism Advisor: Mark E Hauber |
![]() |
Chen, Timothy |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Investigating mechanisms and evolution of carbon fixation Advisor: Steven Burgess |
![]() |
Chen, Yutao |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Using biological framework to solve engineering problems; devising bioinspired designs incorporating desired functionalities. (advisor: Marianne Alleyne) Advisor: Marianne Alleyne |
![]() |
Cheng, Vivian |
Graduate Student -
PEEC (advisor: Ripan Malhi) Advisor: Ripan Malhi |
![]() |
Chiavini, Benjamin |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Study of small hive beetles in their life cycle, physiology, and behaviors in relation to honey bees and viruses/diseases Advisor: Adam G Dolezal |
![]() |
Clodfelter, E. |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Relationships of lice to their hosts and endosymbionts Advisor: Kevin Johnson |
![]() |
Cloud, Becky |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Disease ecology, community ecology, mosquito ecology and applied mosquito control (advisors: Carla Caceres, Brian Allan, Becky Smith) Advisor: Carla Cáceres |
![]() |
Coburn, Kat |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Biology education research: Science identity development, comparative analysis of supportive instructional materials that differ in accessibility and cultural relevance Advisor: Thomas McElrath |
|
Cook, Theodore |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Spatiotemporal distribution of aquatic insects in midwestern states Advisor: Ed DeWalt |
![]() |
Coulter, Austin |
Graduate Student -
PEEC The physiological, neurological, and genetic impacts of domestication on animals (advisor: Anna Kukekova) Advisor: Anna Kukekova |
![]() |
Cox, Maria |
Graduate Student -
PEEC 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) Advisor: Ripan Malhi |
![]() |
Crawford, Reed |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Thermoregulatory behavior and artificial roost selection of bats (advisor: Joy O'Keefe) Advisor: Joy O'Keefe |
![]() |
Cucalon Tamayo, Roberto |
Graduate Student -
PEEC 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) Advisor: Milton Tan |
![]() |
Cullum, Jeannette |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Environmental drivers of infectious disease in Daphnia (advisor: Carla Cáceres) Advisor: Carla Cáceres |
![]() |
Dady, Erinn |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Using chemical ecology to examine the effects of combinatorial stress on plant-insect interactions, to address insect-related food insecurity Advisor: Esther Ngumbi |
![]() |
Daleo, Maris |
Graduate Student -
PEEC 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) |
![]() |
De Becker, Elsa |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Advisor: Stephen Long |
![]() |
De Silva, Kithmee |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Advisor: Matthew D. Brooks |
![]() |
Dominguez, Jonah |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Inter- and intra-species interactions; community and behavioral ecology; host-parasite interactions; ornithology (advisor: Mark Hauber) Advisor: Mark E Hauber |
![]() |
Fauziyah, Siti |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Biomechanics of insect wings Advisor: Marianne Alleyne |
![]() |
Feng, Jennifer |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Deep learning for pollen analysis, paleo-ENSO variability, historical ecology, Holocene land use and land cover change, landscape archaeology Advisor: Surangi W. Punyasena |
|
Fernandez-Duque, Facundo |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Social dynamics, behavioral ecology, parent-offspring relationships, functional neurogenomics, mating strategies, phenotypic plasticity, decision making (advisor: Mark Hauber) Advisor: Mark E Hauber |
![]() |
Fitzgerald, Katheryn |
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) Advisor: Joy O'Keefe |
![]() |
Flores, Manuel |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Advisor: James Dalling |
![]() |
Fu, Jie |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Advisor: Amy Marshall-Colon Advisor: Amy Marshall-Colon |
![]() |
Garrett, Aidan |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Advisor: Jason Bried |
![]() |
Goertz, Isaiah |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Analysis of the evolution of pathogenicity of bacteria and viruses, resulting from differing environmental impacts and factors (advisor: Rachel Whitaker) Advisor: Rachel Whitaker |
![]() |
Goodson, Devin |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Community-based conservation, social-ecological systems, human-bird interactions (advisors: Mark Hauber & Carena van Riper) Advisor: Mark E Hauber |
![]() |
Graves, Brian |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Genetic changes over time in hominins and organisms impacted by their spread (advisor: Ripan Malhi) Advisor: Ripan Malhi |
![]() |
Griesbaum, Karla |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Advisor: Katy D. Heath |
![]() |
Han, Siqi |
Graduate Student -
Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Using computational neuroscience methods to understand the plasticity, columnar structures, and evolution of the mammalian brains Advisor: Daniel J Miller |
![]() |
Hardin, Faith |
Graduate Student -
Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior The neurological, hormonal, and evolutionary mechanisms behind parental care in the coqui frog Advisor: Eva K. Fischer |
![]() |
Hogan, Phillip |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Identification of distribution patterns for both the historic and contemporaneous Midwest stonefly fauna using distributional modeling techniques Advisor: Ed DeWalt |
|
Hsieh, Edward |
Graduate Student -
Entomology The properties of phytochemicals in honeybee honey and general honeybee behavior Advisor: Adam G Dolezal |
![]() |
Hyde, Charles |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Plant-soil microbial interactions: the effects of bioenergy crop root exudation on microbial communities in agricultural soils (advisor: Wendy Yang) Advisor: Wendy H. Yang |
![]() |
Jehn, Julia |
Graduate Student -
Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Plant ecology and physiology Advisor: Ken N. Paige |
![]() |
Jones, Cody |
Graduate Student -
Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Looking at the interplay between overcompensation and endoreduplication, specifically in the model system, soybean Advisor: Ken N. Paige |
|
Jones, Lance |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Systematics of flowering plants and insects, especially Apiaceae (the carrot or parsley family) and Diptera (the true flies); with emphasis on monographic taxonomy and the description of new species; also understanding the evolutionary relationships and ecology of these groups Advisor: Stephen R. Downie |
![]() |
Jops, Kenny |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Mathematical and modelling approaches to ecological theory including community assemblage and plant competitive interactions. Advisor: James O'Dwyer |
![]() |
Kamara, Shasta |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Integrating field and laboratory studies to improve the conservation and management of Paddlefish. (advisor: Cory Suski) Advisor: Cory Suski |
|
Karakehian, Jason |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology The systematics, biology and ecology of woody tissue-inhabiting, non-lichenized fungi in class Leotiomycetes (Ascomycota), with a special focus on taxa in orders Rhytismatales and Marthamycetales Advisor: Andrew Miller |
![]() |
Karatgi, Ratna |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Sexual selection: Intrasexual competition, mate choice, signalling and signal evolution (advisor: Becky Fuller) Advisor: Becky Fuller |
![]() |
Kaur, Satinderpal |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Understanding the impact of flooding of corn crop on the plant growth traits as well as on the plant secondary metabolites which ultimately mediate plant and insect interactions Advisor: Esther Ngumbi |
![]() |
Kwafo, Seldon |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Advisor: Justin McGrath |
![]() |
Lakeram, Scott |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Interactions of arthropods and early plants during the Pennsylvanian period. |
![]() |
Long, Kira
kira2@illinois.edu |
Graduate Student -
PEEC 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) Advisor: Jeffrey Brawn |
![]() |
Ludden, Caroline |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Advisor: Mark Lara |
![]() |
Maciejewski, Meghan |
Graduate Student -
Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Behavioral ecology, parental care, social evolution Advisor: Alison Bell |
![]() |
Madrigal, Giovanni |
Graduate Student -
Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Evolutionary genetics/genomics and bioinformatics Advisor: Julian Catchen |
![]() |
Martin, Duncan |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Interactive effects of drought and ozone sress on crop physiology and biochemistry Advisor: Elizabeth "Lisa" Ainsworth |
![]() |
Martin, Jared |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Phylogenetic dating methods in a collaboration between Adelphi and the AMNH Advisor: Dominic Evangelista |
![]() |
Mayfield-Jones, Dustin |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Advisor: Andrew D.B. Leakey |
![]() |
McFarland, Derek |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Ecology of tick-borne pathogens and the wildlife populations they infect within the context of climate change and human encroachment (advisor: Brian Allan) Advisor: Brian Allan |
![]() |
Moorhead, Kaitlin |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Investigating health in free-ranging Blanding’s turtles using novel diagnostics and statistical modeling (advisor: Matt Allender) |
![]() |
Mowery, Samantha |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Phytochemicals associated with floral resources and bee products, the bee bread mycobiome, the gut microbiome of honey and bumble bees, and disease ecology Advisor: Adam G Dolezal |
![]() |
Munoz, Maria |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Investigating how anthropogenic changes such as climate change can affect the prevalence and distribution of vector-borne diseases (advisor: Brian Allan) Advisor: Brian Allan |
|
Neumann, Kevin |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Behavioral ecology, genomics, and plasticity in social animals (advisors: Alison Bell and Andrew Suarez) Advisor: Alison Bell |
![]() |
Noel, Kylee |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Genetic and physiological effects of insecticide resistance in mosquitoes; scientific outreach to the community to encourage citizen science Advisor: Chris Stone |
|
Ooi, Sean |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Biogeochemistry and microbial ecology of nitrous oxide production and consumption in soils (advisor: Wendy Yang) Advisor: Wendy H. Yang |
![]() |
Osterhout, Bram |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Gene regulation in sorghum and metabolic modeling of wheat Advisor: Amy Marshall-Colon |
![]() |
Otolski, Lauren |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Tropical ecology, fungal-plant interactions, and microbial community assembly (advisor: James Dalling) Advisor: James Dalling |
![]() |
Pagaldevatti, Sumashini |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Tropical forest ecology, plant-animal-fungal interactions, seed ecology Advisor: James Dalling |
![]() |
Pallo Rivadeneira, Fabian |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Conservation biology with a focus on finding potential species replacements on fragmented habitats (advisor: Ken Paige) Advisor: Ken N. Paige |
![]() |
Prayugo, Vincent |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Toxicology of honey bees Advisor: Adam G Dolezal |
![]() |
Quebedeaux, Jennifer |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Genetic Control of Carbon Metabolism and Water Use Efficiency as Targets to Improve Photosynthesis and Crop Yield Advisor: Andrew D.B. Leakey |
![]() |
Rayamajhi, Niraj |
Graduate Student -
Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Population genomics of natural populations and computational biology Advisor: Julian Catchen |
![]() |
Ricks, Kevin |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Microbial community and evolutionary ecology, evolution of symbiosis (advisor: Anthony Yannarell) Advisor: Anthony Yannarell |
![]() |
Saboowala, Sana |
Graduate Student -
PEEC 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) Advisor: Ripan Malhi |
|
Sani, Daniel Eneji |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Interactive effects of elevated carbon dioxide and ozone stress on crop quality Advisor: Justin McGrath |
![]() |
Sawant, Ankita |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Plant-fungal-soil interactions with a focus on the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and soil nutrient cycling. (advisor: Andrew Margenot) Advisor: Andrew John Margenot |
![]() |
Schore, Aiden Isaac Gittler |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Examining interactions between climate, disturbances, and the physical environment across the Alaskan tundra via analysis of permafrost degradation, tall shrub expansion, and biological feedback effects Advisor: Mark Lara |
![]() |
Schwartz, Johanna |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Insect systematics and evolution Advisor: Dominic Evangelista |
![]() |
Scott, Bradley |
Graduate Student -
Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Early evolution of vertebrates, specifically the changes in feeding and locomotion associated with the transition from jawless to jawed vertebrates. I seek to understand these changes using paleontology, functional morphology, and biomechanics Advisor: Philip S L Anderson |
![]() |
Singh, Dilkaran |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Advisor: Amy Marshall-Colon Advisor: Amy Marshall-Colon |
![]() |
Singh, Simran |
Graduate Student -
Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Focused on using deep learning algorithms to discover biomarkers of auditory cortex by integrating histology and ultra-high field imaging Advisor: Daniel J Miller |
![]() |
Song, Jinjin |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Advisor: Ray Ming |
![]() |
Soto, Katharina |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Behavioral and conservation biology and evolution (advisor: Eva Fischer) Advisor: Eva K. Fischer |
|
Soto Patiño, Juliana |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Ornithology, ecology and evolution of host-parasite systems, specially birds and its ectoparasite lice, citizen/participatory science (Advisor: Kevin Johnson) Advisor: Kevin Johnson |
![]() |
Sparrow, Ignacio |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Using and developing synthetic biology tools to create better, more robust crops Advisor: Steven Burgess |
![]() |
Spina, Joseph |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Arbovirus ecology and vector competence Advisor: Chris Stone |
![]() |
Surber, Lisa |
Graduate Student -
Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Behavioral ecology, evolution, and phenotypic plasticity in Neotropical poison frogs Advisor: Eva K. Fischer |
![]() |
Suresh, Sreelakshmi |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Foraging behavior of honey bees in agricultural systems Advisor: Adam G Dolezal |
![]() |
Tamarri, Jacob |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Paleoenvironments and the roles plants and insects play in them; primarily comparing ancient insects to contemporary ones, with a focus on hymenopterans Advisor: Sam Heads |
![]() |
Tan, Grace |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Plant biology, specifically water-use efficiency and photosynthetic efficiency relative to sustainable agriculture (advisor: Andrew Leakey) Advisor: Andrew D.B. Leakey |
![]() |
Tang, Wilfred |
Graduate Student -
Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Biomechanics, systematics and evolution of ants, with a particular interest in the genus Strumigenys Advisor: Andrew V. Suarez |
![]() |
Terrill, Emily |
Graduate Student -
Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Physiological and genomic mechanisms that underpin behavior in neotropical poison frogs Advisor: Eva K. Fischer |
![]() |
Tetlie, Jonathan |
Graduate Student -
Entomology The lingering impact of agricultural practices on habitat restoration efforts of prairies and their effect on native bee communities Advisor: Alex Harmon-Threatt |
![]() |
Thomas, M. Jared |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Paleoentomology with emphasis on Tetrigidae (pygmy grasshoppers) Advisor: Sam Heads |
![]() |
Turner, Abbi |
Graduate Student -
Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Evolution, mate choice, parental care, brood parasitism, and birds Advisor: Mark E Hauber |
![]() |
Udayakumar, Anupama |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Identifying and analyzing different elaterid beetles and cerambycids species, specifically those within the Lamiinae and Lepturges families Advisor: Lawrence Hanks |
![]() |
Venu, Malavika |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Understanding the genetic and ecological mechanisms that dictate the evolution of social behavior in insect societies (Advisor: Gene Robinson) |
![]() |
Wargin, Annaliese |
Graduate Student -
Entomology The ecology of native pollinators in restored landscapes; insect behavioral responses to abiotic change Advisor: Alex Harmon-Threatt |
![]() |
Wayman, Timo |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Native bee life histories Advisor: Alex Harmon-Threatt |
![]() |
Weber, Abby |
Graduate Student -
Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Puncture tool biomechanics Advisor: Philip S L Anderson |
![]() |
Whitmer, Emily |
Graduate Student -
PEEC 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) Advisor: Matthew Allender |
![]() |
Williams, Cariad |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Wide range of research interests within palaeontology including biomechanics of vertebrates, exceptional preservation of arthropods and taphonomic processes within the fossil record Advisor: Sam Heads |
![]() |
Wilson, Patrick |
Graduate Student -
Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Disease ecology and host-parasite coevolution in Daphnia Advisor: Carla Cáceres |
![]() |
Wilson, Sara |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Mosquito feeding behavior and control Advisor: Chris Stone |
![]() |
Winnicki-Smith, Sarah |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Avian growth and development, parental care behavior, and brood parasitism (advisors: TJ Benson and Mark Hauber) Advisor: Thomas Benson |
![]() |
Wu, Wen-Yen |
Graduate Student -
Entomology Chemical ecology of insects Advisor: May Berenbaum |
|
Zackery, Fahren |
Graduate Student -
PEEC 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) Advisor: Brian Allan |
![]() |
Zambrano, Michelle |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Abiotic stress in crops Advisor: Elizabeth "Lisa" Ainsworth |
![]() |
Zeitzer, Ilana |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Plant ecology and plant-fungal mutualistic interaction (advisor: Anthony Yannarell) Advisor: Anthony Yannarell |
![]() |
Zhang, Chen |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Advisor: Li-Qing Chen |
![]() |
Zhang, Xiaodan |
Graduate Student -
Plant Biology Advisor: Ray Ming |
![]() |
Zheng, Jason |
Graduate Student -
PEEC Plant-microbe interactions; Evolution of nitrogen-fixing symbiosis; Eco-evolutionary response of microbiomes to global change. Advisor: Katy D. Heath |