People

David Civitello 

 

Associate Professor of Biology

PhD – Indiana University, 2013

BA – Colby College, 2006

 

Postdoctoral Fellows

Naima Starkloff

Ph.D. Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, State University of New York, Albany, 2020

B.A. Ecology & Evolution, Bennington College, 2015

My research interests lie in understanding the factors that determine the diversity of and interactions within biological communities, with a special interest in host-parasite interactions. For my Ph.D., I developed my own study system to investigate the diversity of immunogenetics and avian malaria parasites in a clade of North American songbirds. Thereafter, I spent a year as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Davidson College and continued to develop my teaching pedagogy rooted in biological rigor, active learning, and anti-oppressive classroom practices. As a postdoctoral researcher in the Civitello lab, I will be focusing on the spatial and temporal variation of Schistosoma species of human concern in Tanzanian snails. I am especially interested in how environmental gradients and interspecific interactions may impact transmission potential within this neglected tropical disease system. In my free time, I enjoy everything food-related, traveling, good friends, and hanging out with my cat Luna.

www.naimastarkloff.com

 

Stephanie Gutierrez

Ph.D. Biological Sciences, Purdue University, 2022

B.A. Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, 2015

Info coming soon!

 

Graduate Students

 

Ph.D. Cohort of 2018

Lynda (LM) Bradley 

 

B.S. Biophysics and biochemistry, Oregon State University

I am interested in how to predictively model system-wide consequences of sudden ecological perturbations- my dissertation is on how freshwater host-parasite dynamics change following a resource pulse (using the snail-schistosome system). I like the challenge of merging theory and empirical data together to improve model forecasts. Outside the lab, I like to sew/needlework, run, and hang out with my crew.

 

PhD Cohort of 2021

Nadia Raytselis

B.S. in Microbiology and Spanish, University of Massachusetts Amherst

I am a PhD student interested in how complex life cycle parasites move through ecosystems and impact ecosystem structure and function. My dissertation research focuses on the ecology of the Guinea worm parasite, a complex life cycle parasite. For my dissertation, I am investigating a potential alternative transmission pathway and assessing its relative importance to Guinea worm transmission. I employ both theoretical and empirical methods to explore this question. Outside the lab I enjoy doing art, traveling, food-related activities (cooking, baking, and eating!!), and hiking with my partner and our dog, Neva.

 

Mackenzie Hoogshagen

 

Info coming soon!

PhD Cohort of 2022

 

Ben Lukubye

 

Info coming soon!

 

Lab Alumni

KM Barnett Mirchandani
PhD 2023

Aniruddha Belsare
Associate Scientist, 2021 – 2023

Daniel Desautels
PhD 2021

Rachel Hartman
Laboratory Manager, 2017 – 2022

Matthew Malishev
Postdoctoral Researcher, 2018 – 2020
www.researchgate.net/MattMalishev
Github: www.github.com/darwinanddavis
Twitter: @darwinanddavis

Sandra Mendiola
PhD 2023

Karena Nguyen
Postdoctoral Researcher, 2019 – 2021
https://karenanguyen.wixsite.com/khnguyen
Twitter: @Nguyen_4_Science

Xorla Ocloo
PhD 2023

Kelsey Shaw
PhD 2023