Graduate Students
The Department of Biological Sciences offers graduate training leading to the MS in Biological Sciences or the PhD in Integrative Biology. Students work closely with the research faculty to select appropriate courses and conduct independent research. Many projects are funded through state and federal grants and contracts. Student research frequently involves collaboration with other scientists from other institutions or field work in diverse settings.
GRADUATE STUDENT | ADVISOR & INTERESTS |
Fadeke Ibukun Adeola |
Ph.D. Program Advisor: Lailvaux Research: My research involves whole organism performance, sexual conflict, locomotion and neurochemistry using the house cricket species Acheta domesticus. My project focuses on octopamine receptor mediated male aggression and its role on mate choice interactions, male courtship calling effort, male coercive activity and its reproductive consequences. Email: fiadeol1@uno.edu |
Ariel Alonso |
Ph.D. Program Advisor: Dr. Kelly Boyle Research: My research involves determining the effects of acoustic disturbance on the auditory system of Atlantic Croaker (Micropogonias undulatus). My project focuses on regenerating sensory hairs in the Atlantic Croaker ear to determine if this species can recover hearing after exposure to continuous loud noise. Email: analonso@uno.edu |
Emily Bowers | M.S. Program Advisor: Dr. Nicola Anthony Research: My research is focused on the molecular ecology of a small population of lowland tapir in Paraguay. Email: ebowers@uno.edu |
Caitlin Bumby | Ph.D. Program Advisor: Dr. Charles Bell Research: My research is on the mechanisms of diversification in Angiosperms specifically through hybridization, ecological niche differentiation, and local adaptation. Special interests include North American orchids, ecological niche modeling, and next generation sequencing techniques. Email: cbumby@uno.edu |
Jacy Haynes | Ph.D. Program Advisor: Dr. Joel Atallah Research: Genome sequencing and annotation of Hawaiian Drosophila and Scaptomyza flies with an emphasis on the discovery of novel genes. Email: jahayne1@uno.edu |
Kes Lynn Joseph | Ph.D. Program Advisor: Dr. Wendy Schluchter Research: My research focuses on enzymes (MpeQ, MpeW, MpeU, and Unk10) necessary for the biosynthesis of pigmented proteins that comprise a large light harvesting complex, called a phycobilisome, in cyanobacteria. By recombinantly expressing these enzymes in E.coli, we are able to biochemically determine the function and structure of these enzymes that are important for a process called Type IV chromatic acclimation in the marine cyanobacterial species Synechococcus RS9916 and Synechococcus A15-62. Email: kjoseph3@uno.edu |
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Ph.D. Program Advisor: Dr. Erin Cox Research: My research examines the effects of warming and acidification on artificial reef ecosystems. Email: amkirkla@uno.edu |
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Ph.D. Program Advisor: Dr. Erin Cox Research: My work focuses on the resilience of the seagrass Halodule wrightii to environmental change. I focus on the molecular aspects of resilience (genetic variation and gene expression) in order to improve the quality of management and restoration of seagrasses Gulf-wide. I am working to understand the natural variation in gene expression of the seagrass Halodule wrightii in relation to plant productivity to better understand how these species may cope with stress. On a bed-level, I am also assessing the genetic diversity of seagrass meadows at multiple sites across the Gulf of Mexico and investigating links with bed health and environmental stress. Email: amkonefa@uno.edu |
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Ph.D. Program Advisor: Dr. Wendy Schluchter Research: My research is focusing on characterizing the lyase/lyase isomerase enzyme that is involved in the type IV chromatic acclimation (CA4) process in cyanobacteria Synechococcus. Synechococcus species are abundant in ocean environments and contribute to the oxygenation of the earth's atmosphere. Exploring the function of these enzymes helps us better understand how Synechococcus adapt to changing light environments. Email: xliu11@uno.edu |
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Ph.D. Program Advisor: Dr. Bernard Rees Research: My research looks at the expression patterns and function of the hypoxia-inducible factor gene family in ray-finned fishes and the effect of aquatic hypoxia on tissue-specific gene expression levels in Fundulus grandis. Email: temurphy@uno.edu |
Raquel Nin Blanchard |
M.S. Program Advisor: Dr. Joel Atallah Research: We are sequencing and annotating the genome of the Hawaiian fly Scaptomyza anomala for the first time using state-of-the-art Oxford Nanopore technology. This long-read sequencing platform will allow us to accurately assemble repetitive regions, including transposable elements. Previous researchers have hypothesized that transposable elements may have played a role in the diversification of Hawaiian flies. Email: rnin@uno.edu |
Bennett Price |
Ph.D. Program |
Adam Quade |
Ph.D. Program
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Ph.D. Program Advisor: Dr. Simon Lailvaux Research: My project focuses on the evolution of cognition by using comparative cognition. Concretely, I am trying to see if patterns that exist in mammals and birds are also present in reptiles. Email: mvsorlin@uno.edu |
Anna Weber |
Ph.D. Program Advisor: Dr. Nicola Anthony Research: I currently study population genetics of wild mandrills, a charismatic species of Cercopithecine monkey endemic to central Africa. Using DNA extracted from fecal samples, we model current and historical population dynamics, relatedness structure, and connectivity between mandrill groups. We also use next-generation sequencing to characterize diversity and sex-specific differences in the major histocompatibility complex, one of the gene families responsible for adaptive immunity. Email: aweber2@my.uno.edu |
Katie Wyssmann | M.S. Program Advisor: Dr. Nicola Anthony & Dr. Erin Cox Research: I currently study population genetics of wild mandrills, a charismatic species of Cercopithecine monkey endemic to central Africa. Using DNA extracted from fecal samples, we model current and historical population dynamics, relatedness structure, and connectivity between mandrill groups. We also use next-generation sequencing to characterize diversity and sex-specific differences in the major histocompatibility complex, one of the gene families responsible for adaptive immunity. Email: aweber2@my.uno.edu |