People — graduate students

Faculty Lecturers Adjunct/Affiliate Faculty Teaching Assistants Postdoctoral Scientists
Graduate Students Scientific Staff Staff


Jason Adams Ph.D Biology	Lab: Phone: +01 (208) 885-xxxx xxxxx [at] vandals.uidaho.edu. Stenkamp

Hyo-Jin Ahn Ph.D Biology	Lab: Life Sciences South 282 Phone: +01 (208) 885-2583 hjahn [at] vandals.uidaho.edu. My research interest is to determine if the changes in cellular growth rate are correlated to mutation frequency in E.coli. We propose to examine the patterns of mutation frequency and stress response gene expression in cells in stationary phase of batch culture, and under low growth rate conditions in continuous culture. Forney	Hyo-Jin Ahn

Kerey Barnowe-Meyer Ph.D. Biology	kkbarnowe-meyer [at] vandals.uidaho.edu My research involves pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana) on the northern range of Yellowstone National Park. I’m currently investigating their migration and habitat selection strategies, spatial patterns of fawn recruitment, and local and regional genetics. I am also the instructor for BIOL 425, a wildlife tracking and field skills class held in Yellowstone during Spring Break. Byers	Kerey Barnowe-Meyer

Maia Benner M.S. Neuroscience	Lab: Phone: +01 (208) 885-8478 maiabenner [at] vandals.uidaho.edu Robison

Ken Berger Ph.D. Zoology	Lab: Life Sciences South 274 Phone: +01 (208) 885-8862 kberger [at] vandals.uidaho.edu Ken is working on ecomorphology of western shrews and phylogeography of the wandering shrew, Sorex vagrans. Sullivan

Josh Boyce Ph.D. Biology	Lab: Gibb Hall 241 Phone: +01 (208) 885-8855 jboyce [at] vandals.uidaho.edu My research is at the intersection of endocrinology and reproductive toxicology. I'm studying the function of the four known estrogen receptor isoforms in the rainbow trout particularly during the stage of vitellogenesis when yolk proteins are being incorporated into the developing egg under the control of estrogen. Do all four estrogen receptors in the trout perform the same function or is the overall function partitioned among them? I am also interested in the influence of environmental contaminants known as endocrine disruptors on the normal function of these receptors. Cloud

Erin Clancey Ph.D. Biology	erinclancey [at] vandals.uidaho.edu I am interested in how female dominance status plays a role in female mate choice and sex ratio bias in American Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana). My dissertation will focus on testing evolutionary hypotheses about social dominance and sex ratio adjustment using field observations and field experiments on the National Bison Range in northwestern Montana. Byers

Simone Des Roches --	Office: Life Sciences South 352 Phone: +01 (208) 885-2550 Lab: Life Sciences South 461B Phone: +01 (208) 885-6618 desr7280 [at] vandals.uidaho.edu

Stacey Dunn Ph.D. Biology	Life Sciences South 352 Phone: +01 (208) 885-2550 sdunn [at] vandals.uidaho.edu I study sexual selection and inbreeding in the National Bison Range, Montana, pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) population. I combine behavioral and ecological data with genetic data (specifically, microsatellite analysis) to examine these forces. Byers	Stacey Dunn

Jason Evans Ph.D. BCB Bioinformatics and Computational Biology	Lab: Life Sciences South 274 joevans [at] gmail.com Jason is developing new methods for phylogenetic inference. Sullivan

Lydia Gentry Ph.D. Biology	Lab: Phone: +01 (208) 885-xxxx xxxxx [at] vandals.uidaho.edu. Rosenblum

William Godsoe Ph.D. Biology	Lab: Life Sciences South 276 Phone: +01 (208) 885-8860 williamgodsoe [at] vandals.uidaho.edu I am interested in the role of insects in shaping the evolution of plants in nature. My work employs a combination of experiments, correlative studies and theory. This research also gives me an excuse to do extensive fieldwork in the American west from the Mojave Desert of California to the Blue Mountains of Washington. Pellmyr

Travis Hagey Ph.D. Biology	Office: Life Sciences South 352 Phone: Phone: +01 (208) 885-2550 Lab: Life Sciences South 461B Phone: +01 (208) 885-6618 thagey [at] vandals.uidaho.edu Harmon	Travis Hagey

Lisa Heuvel M.S. Neuroscience	Lab: Gibb Hall 245 Phone: +01 (208) 885-0135 lheuvel@vandals.uidaho.edu Kelliher

Sarah Hird M.S. Biology	Lab: Life Sciences South 274 Phone: +01 (208) 885-8862 shird [at] vandals.uidaho.edu Sarah is working on introgression between chipmunks in the Inland Northwest. Sullivan

Heidi Hugunin M.S. Biology	Lab: Gibb Hall 235 Phone: +01 (208) 885-8857 hhugunin [at] vandals.uidaho.edu Project Title: The influence of coelomic fluid on in vitro fertilization success in rainbow trout. Nagler

Sam Hunter Ph.D. BCB Bioinformatics and Computational Biology	shunter [at] vandals.uidaho.edu I am interested in exploring data mining techniques for extracting information about gene-networks from microarray data. I want to use these techniques to explore the similarities/differences between development and regeneration, particularly in the case of zebrafish retinal regeneration. Foster · Stenkamp

Denim Jochimsen Ph.D. Biology	Office: Life Sciences South 353A Phone: +01 (208) 885-6185 denimj [at] uidaho.edu Harmon

Audra Johnson M.S. BCB Bioinformatics and Computational Biology	Office: Gibb Hall 247A Phone: +01 (208) 892 2625 john8376 [at] uidaho.edu I work on substitution matrices for disordered proteins. ibest wiki: http://www.ibest.uidaho.edu/wiki/index.php/ Brown	Audra Johnson

Ann Jorgensen Ph.D. Neuroscience	Lab: Gibb Hall 245 Phone: +01 (208) 885-0135 annj [at] uidaho.edu Kelliher

Manasi Kanuga Ph.D. Biology	Lab: Gibb Hall 230 Phone: +01 (208) 885-8856 kanu1622 [at] uidaho.edu I am a first year PhD student with a MS in Endocrinology from The Mumbai University, India. My research interests are to assess the toxicological impacts of various agents on fish gamete physiology. Ingermann

Bhavani Kashyap Ph.D. Neuroscience	Lab: Life Sciences South 267 Phone: +01 (208) 885-8861 bhavani [at] vandals.uidaho.edu Stenkamp	Bhavani Kashyap

Zev Kronenberg M.S. Biology	Office: Life Sciences South 352 Phone: +01 (208) 885-2550 zev [at] vandals.uidaho.edu Wichman

Steve Nelson Ph.D. Neuroscience	Lab: Life Sciences South 267 Phone: +01 (208) 885-8861 nels4115 [at] vandals.uidaho.edu My major focus is in determining the functional role of the retinal homeobox 1 (rx1) transcription factor in zebrafish photoreceptor development. Stenkamp	Steven Nelson

Julie Nichols Ph.D. Biology	Lab: Phone: +01 (208) 885-8858 xxxxx [at] vandals.uidaho.edu. Top

Benjamin Oswald Ph.D. BCB Bioinformatics and Computational Biology	Lab: Life Sciences South 280 Phone: +01 (208) 885-7437 boswald [at] vandals.uidaho.edu I am currently working in the Nuismer Lab at the University of Idaho researching how ploidy affects resistance to pathogens and thus coevolutionary interactions. My main approach is using mathematical models to examine how different genetic models of resistance lead to different outcomes when ploidy is increased. I also am in the process of artificially creating tetraploid Huechera grossulariifolia from diploid seed to test predictions of the mathematical models. Nuismer	Benjamin Oswald

Mary Oswald Ph.D. Biology	Lab: Gibb Hall 215 Phone: +01 (208) 885-8478 moswald [at] vandals.uidaho.edu While completing her undergraduate degree (Biology w/ an emphasis in Ecology & Environmental Science) at, CO, Mary conducted three undergraduate research projects involving behavior (Gunnison Sage-Grouse), population distributions (Rough-legged Hawks), and habitat analysis (Colorado Cutthroat Trout). She also worked for the local offices of the USFS, BLM, and Colorado DOW. Robison

Jacob Pierson M.S. BCB Bioinformatics and Computational Biology	Lab: Life Sciences South 282 Phone: +01 (208) 885-2583 pier6108 [at] vandals.uidaho.edu Microbial diversity takes many different shapes and is abundant in the world around us. For the soil we stand on, and in communities found within every person, complex communities are essential to our existence. Learning how bacteria compete and behave within these communities is essential to understanding what makes them stable and how they interact with one another. Identification of an individual player in this community is essential to understand how the community is structured and maintains balance. Forney	Jacob Pierson

Virginie Poullain Ph.D. Biology	Lab: Life Sciences South 280 Phone: +01 (208) 885-7437 vpoullain [at] vandals.uidaho.edu I am working on antagonistic coevolution in community of species. In particular, I study the evolution of specificity at the community level using modelling approaches. The predictions of the models will be tested using experimental evolution with bacteria and lytic phage. I am also interested in predicting the evolution of symbiotic interactions in natural communities using the plant, Heuchera grossulariifolia, and associated pollinator insects. Nuismer

Noah Reid M.S. Biology	Lab: Life Sciences South 274 Phone: +01 (208) 885-8862 nreid [at] vandals.uidaho.edu My research is focused on understanding the importance of hybridization in the evolution of the diverse clade of western chipmunks. I am currently developing sequenced-based phylogenetic markers to analyze the extent of admixture at a hybrid zone between two species in the inland northwest and for a genus-level phylogeny. Sullivan	Noah Reid

Jennifer Ripplinger Ph.D. BCB Bioinformatics and Computational Biology	Lab: Life Sciences South 274 Phone: +01 (208) 885-8862 jripplinger [at] vandals.uidaho.edu Sullivan

Ursel Schuette Ph.D. Biology	Lab: Life Sciences South 282 Phone: +01 (208) 885-2583 ursel.Schuette [at] vandals.uidaho.edu I am investigating succession in microbial communities in the glacial foreland of a retreating glacier on Spitsbergen. I will be focusing primarily on cyanobacterial populations. I will be using T-RFLP and RT-PCR to assess functional diversity and expression of functional genes. Forney	Ursel Schuette

Diya Sen Ph.D. BCB Bioinformatics and Computational Biology	Office: Life Sciences 457 Phone: +01 (208) 885-8858 diyasen [at] vandals.uidaho.edu Top	Diya Sen

Luke Sheneman Ph.D. BCB Bioinformatics and Computational Biology	sheneman [at] hungry.com My research centers around developing novel algorithms for multiple sequence alignment of molecular data. Specifically, I am exploring the limitations of progressive multiple sequence alignment, and trying to gain a deeper understanding of the role of guide trees in determining the quality of progressive alignment methods. Foster	Luke Sheneman

Tshering Sherpa M.S. Neuroscience	Lab: Life Sciences South 267 Phone: +01 (208) 885-8861 tsherpa [at] vandals.uidaho.edu Stenkamp	Tshering Sherpa

Shreenivas Ph.D. Biology	Lab: Gibb Hall 235 Phone: +01 (208) 885-8857 shre8084 [at] vandals.uidaho.edu Nagler

Dan Stevens --	Lab: Phone: +01 (208) 885-xxxx xxxxx [at] vandals.uidaho.edu.

Lei Yang Ph.D. Biology	Lab: Phone: +01 (208) 885-8859 yang7950 [at] vandals.uidaho.edu Wichman

Jeremy Yoder Ph.D. Biology	Lab: Life Sciences South 276 Phone: +01 (208) 885-8860 jbyoder [at] gmail.com In the closing paragraph of The Origin of Species, Darwin contrasts the monotonous mechanics of the nonliving world with the baroque diversity of life: ” … whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved.” Today this contrast is borne out by ecological and evolutionary research suggesting that biotic interactions are more important to the diversification of life than the abiotic environment. Understanding the intricacies of biotic interactions and their contribution to the history of life is therefore of central importance to evolutionary biology, and it is the core of my interests in the field. Pellmyr	Jeremy Yoder

Sanqing Yuan Biology	Lab: Life Sciences South 282 Phone: +01 (208) 885-2583 yuansanq [at] gmail.com I am interested in using culture-independent methods based on the phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA genes of bacteria to understand the composition and structure of microbial communities associated with the human microbiome. As part of this work I will develop and evaluate statistical methods and mathematical models to explore differences among demographic groups, the temporal and spatial dynamics of these microbial communities, and how changes in their structure may be associated with infectious disease and other health problems. Forney

Luyi Zhao Ph.D. Biology	Lab: Phone: +01 (208) 885-xxxx xxxxx [at] vandals.uidaho.edu. C. Brown