Our lab group is an awesome and energetic mix of investigators at all levels of education and experience! Check us out (listed below in alphabetical order).
Dr. Gina Calabrese
BS University of Texas, Austin 2010
MS University of Texas, Austin 2014
PhD UNC - Chapel Hill 2022
NSF Postdoctoral Fellow
Sept 2022 –
Gina is interested in the evolution of behavior and how behavioral traits contribute to adaptation and speciation. This line of inquiry has led her to work on a variety of topics including sensory ecology, reinforcement, and how mating signals are responding to climate change. Her PhD in Karin Pfennig’s lab at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill focused on the evolution of male signals and female preferences among populations of Mexican Spadefoot Toads subject to varying environments and levels of reinforcement and introgression. In the Safran lab she will be investigating how migration behavior contributes to speciation, including broad phylogenetic patterns and the genomic signatures of divergence across migratory divides in Barn Swallows. We are very excited to collaborate with Kira Delmore (TAMU) and Jochen Wolf (LMU Munich) on this work.
Gina also has have extensive experience and professional development in evidence-based and inclusive teaching in Biology. While taking a break from classroom teaching during her postdoc, Gina is currently seeking undergraduate collaborators for the migration projects, so please get in touch if you are interested in migration, comparative phylogenetics, and/or field work with Barn Swallows! On a personal note, Gina loves birding and observing wildlife; dogs, hiking, gardening, and Texas. You can read more about her work at her website.
BS University of Texas, Austin 2010
MS University of Texas, Austin 2014
PhD UNC - Chapel Hill 2022
NSF Postdoctoral Fellow
Sept 2022 –
Gina is interested in the evolution of behavior and how behavioral traits contribute to adaptation and speciation. This line of inquiry has led her to work on a variety of topics including sensory ecology, reinforcement, and how mating signals are responding to climate change. Her PhD in Karin Pfennig’s lab at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill focused on the evolution of male signals and female preferences among populations of Mexican Spadefoot Toads subject to varying environments and levels of reinforcement and introgression. In the Safran lab she will be investigating how migration behavior contributes to speciation, including broad phylogenetic patterns and the genomic signatures of divergence across migratory divides in Barn Swallows. We are very excited to collaborate with Kira Delmore (TAMU) and Jochen Wolf (LMU Munich) on this work.
Gina also has have extensive experience and professional development in evidence-based and inclusive teaching in Biology. While taking a break from classroom teaching during her postdoc, Gina is currently seeking undergraduate collaborators for the migration projects, so please get in touch if you are interested in migration, comparative phylogenetics, and/or field work with Barn Swallows! On a personal note, Gina loves birding and observing wildlife; dogs, hiking, gardening, and Texas. You can read more about her work at her website.
Natalie Cloutier-Chaine
Undergraduate, BSI Scholar
Spring 2022 -
Natalie is an undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a minor in French at CU boulder. She is interested in animal behavior, conservation biology, and animal cognition. As a BSI continuing scholar, she is working on a behavioral project examining the role of vocal communication during incubation in barn swallows.
Undergraduate, BSI Scholar
Spring 2022 -
Natalie is an undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a minor in French at CU boulder. She is interested in animal behavior, conservation biology, and animal cognition. As a BSI continuing scholar, she is working on a behavioral project examining the role of vocal communication during incubation in barn swallows.
Heather Kenny-Duddela
PhD student
NSF Graduate Fellow
Fall 2020 -
BS UC Davis 2014
MS William & Mary 2020
Heather is interested in understanding the importance of behavioral variation in different ecological contexts, and in exploring how individual variation in behavioral traits scale up to influence group, population, and community level processes. She is fascinated by questions such as "how do individual behavioral phenotypes mediate species interactions?" and "how can environmental conditions shape behavioral diversity within populations?". In her master's research, Heather measured aggression and neophobia (hesitancy to approach an unfamiliar object) of eastern bluebirds and investigated how these traits influenced bluebird responses to human-caused noise pollution. She is excited to join the Safran Lab and explore similar questions in the barn swallow system. Check out her video about behavioral diversity in wildlife populations!
PhD student
NSF Graduate Fellow
Fall 2020 -
BS UC Davis 2014
MS William & Mary 2020
Heather is interested in understanding the importance of behavioral variation in different ecological contexts, and in exploring how individual variation in behavioral traits scale up to influence group, population, and community level processes. She is fascinated by questions such as "how do individual behavioral phenotypes mediate species interactions?" and "how can environmental conditions shape behavioral diversity within populations?". In her master's research, Heather measured aggression and neophobia (hesitancy to approach an unfamiliar object) of eastern bluebirds and investigated how these traits influenced bluebird responses to human-caused noise pollution. She is excited to join the Safran Lab and explore similar questions in the barn swallow system. Check out her video about behavioral diversity in wildlife populations!
Dr. Javan Carter
NSF INTERN Fellow 2020
Fall 2017 - Spring 2022
BS Old Dominion University, 2016
Javan completed his Ph.D candidate in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department with a focus in evolutionary genomics. Javan's research focused on reconstructing phylogenetic hypotheses for the genus Hirundo and for the subspecies complex, Hirundo rustica, using genomics data sets. Javan loves working with undergraduate students in the lab and in the classroom and is a star mentor, teacher, and baker! Currently, Dr. Carter is a Bioinformatic Scientist at RTI International and the proud father of twins!
NSF INTERN Fellow 2020
Fall 2017 - Spring 2022
BS Old Dominion University, 2016
Javan completed his Ph.D candidate in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department with a focus in evolutionary genomics. Javan's research focused on reconstructing phylogenetic hypotheses for the genus Hirundo and for the subspecies complex, Hirundo rustica, using genomics data sets. Javan loves working with undergraduate students in the lab and in the classroom and is a star mentor, teacher, and baker! Currently, Dr. Carter is a Bioinformatic Scientist at RTI International and the proud father of twins!
Avani Fachon
Undergrad honor's thesis student, EBIO and media design
NSF postbac fellow
Fall 2020 - Fall 2022
Inside the Greenhouse intern, Fall 2022 -
Avani is a senior at CU Boulder working towards a major in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and a minor in Media Production. She is interested in animal behavior, conservation ecology, and science communication. Currently, she is working on an Honors Thesis in the Safran Lab. Through scientific research, storytelling, and media-related projects, she hopes to contribute to environmental and social change in her local and global community
Undergrad honor's thesis student, EBIO and media design
NSF postbac fellow
Fall 2020 - Fall 2022
Inside the Greenhouse intern, Fall 2022 -
Avani is a senior at CU Boulder working towards a major in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and a minor in Media Production. She is interested in animal behavior, conservation ecology, and science communication. Currently, she is working on an Honors Thesis in the Safran Lab. Through scientific research, storytelling, and media-related projects, she hopes to contribute to environmental and social change in her local and global community
Sara Garcia
PhD student, Fall 2021 -
BS, double major in Biology and English
Wooster College, 2019
Sara joined the lab in Fall 2021. As an undergraduate student, she majored in both Biology and English. Her senior project was an art-science integration of the visual ecology of grasshoppers as well as satiric writing about lab culture. Sara spent the past two years as an AmeriCorps volunteer and academic coach for STEM and English high school students in Chicago. She loves baking, reading, and writing!
PhD student, Fall 2021 -
BS, double major in Biology and English
Wooster College, 2019
Sara joined the lab in Fall 2021. As an undergraduate student, she majored in both Biology and English. Her senior project was an art-science integration of the visual ecology of grasshoppers as well as satiric writing about lab culture. Sara spent the past two years as an AmeriCorps volunteer and academic coach for STEM and English high school students in Chicago. She loves baking, reading, and writing!
Dr. Zach Laubach
NSF PRFB Postdoctoral Fellow, 2019 -
PhD Michigan State University 2019
My work is grounded in behavioral ecology and evolutionary biology. In particular, I seek to understand the ways in which early life environments shape phenotype. I am drawn to research questions that explore the interrelations among social behaviors, molecular mechanisms, and stress physiology. This has led me to use tools from diverse fields, including molecular biology and physiology to identify proximate mechanisms of animal behaviors and phenotypes; and causal inference methods from epidemiology to better understand relationships gleaned from observational data. I have carried out my research in wild birds and hyenas, and humans.
NSF PRFB Postdoctoral Fellow, 2019 -
PhD Michigan State University 2019
My work is grounded in behavioral ecology and evolutionary biology. In particular, I seek to understand the ways in which early life environments shape phenotype. I am drawn to research questions that explore the interrelations among social behaviors, molecular mechanisms, and stress physiology. This has led me to use tools from diverse fields, including molecular biology and physiology to identify proximate mechanisms of animal behaviors and phenotypes; and causal inference methods from epidemiology to better understand relationships gleaned from observational data. I have carried out my research in wild birds and hyenas, and humans.
Dr. Molly McDermott
ITG Fellow
National Geographic Young Explorer
PhD Fall 2017 - Spring 2022
Data Scientist, Side x Side May 2022 -
BA Evergreen College 2012
MS Univ Alaska 2017
Molly is interested in ecological influences on mating behavior and the formation of new species. As a PhD student in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology she studied interactions between migration and sexual selection. Field data are collected from Barn Swallow subspecies that differ in sexually selected traits and migratory behavior. Molly’s master’s research focused on the impacts of climate-driven vegetation change on arctic songbird nestling diet. As an amateur musician, she’s interested in intersections between science and art, and in communicating scientific information via creative disciplines. Molly is currently a data scientist for the Side x Side project, part of Inside the Greenhouse.
Read more about Molly here
Isabelle Meredith
Undergraduate, Independent Study, UROP scholar, EBIO honor's student
Fall 2021 -
Isabelle is a double major in EBIO and Computer Science. She is working on a database design to help organize and curate the lab's long term data! After being a part of the field team during summer 2022 as a UROP scholar, Isabelle is pursuing an honor's thesis in the lab.
Aleea Pardue
Undergraduate, BSI scholar
Spring 2021-
Aleea is an undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a minor in Art Practices at CU Boulder. She is interested in population genetics, animal behavior, habitat conservation, and speciation. She hopes to use her degree to integrate the practices of art making and ecological research to facilitate communication between scientists and the public, ultimately encouraging a broad appreciation for wildlife conservation.
Dr. Rebecca Safran
Professor
BS University of Michigan 1991
MS Humboldt State University 1997
PhD Cornell University 2005
The role of adaptation in shaping phenotypic variation within and among closely related populations is a central theme in my research program. As an evolutionary ecologist, I am interested in the biological causes and consequences of variation in phenotype using molecular, comparative, and experimental methods. By adopting new comparative approaches (both empirical and synthetic), my current work is focused on determining how trait function affects patterns of gene flow. We are currently establishing new methods to test hypotheses about the relative contributions of geographic distance, history, natural and sexual selection in the evolution of reproductive isolation.
My research group takes advantage of the barn swallow Hirundo rustica species complex, a highly tractable, widespread and diverse study system. By conducting experiments and long-term studies both locally and across the breeding range of this young and monophyletic species complex, we aim to gain a comprehensive understanding of the evolution and maintenance of phenotypic variation from proximate (mechanistic) and functional (evolutionary) perspectives and how these affect patterns of gene flow and the evolution of reproductive isolation.
In all of our research endeavors, my research group integrates behavioral, physiological and genetic perspectives. As such, my lab is set up to conduct a variety of molecular, physiological, and endocrinological assays, and we also possess various tools for objectively measuring phenotypic variation. Presently, we conduct all of our empirical research on wild populations in the field, where experimental and comparative work are complemented by several molecular investigations in the lab.
Read more about our current research throughout this website and by taking a look here and also here.
MS Humboldt State University 1997
PhD Cornell University 2005
The role of adaptation in shaping phenotypic variation within and among closely related populations is a central theme in my research program. As an evolutionary ecologist, I am interested in the biological causes and consequences of variation in phenotype using molecular, comparative, and experimental methods. By adopting new comparative approaches (both empirical and synthetic), my current work is focused on determining how trait function affects patterns of gene flow. We are currently establishing new methods to test hypotheses about the relative contributions of geographic distance, history, natural and sexual selection in the evolution of reproductive isolation.
My research group takes advantage of the barn swallow Hirundo rustica species complex, a highly tractable, widespread and diverse study system. By conducting experiments and long-term studies both locally and across the breeding range of this young and monophyletic species complex, we aim to gain a comprehensive understanding of the evolution and maintenance of phenotypic variation from proximate (mechanistic) and functional (evolutionary) perspectives and how these affect patterns of gene flow and the evolution of reproductive isolation.
In all of our research endeavors, my research group integrates behavioral, physiological and genetic perspectives. As such, my lab is set up to conduct a variety of molecular, physiological, and endocrinological assays, and we also possess various tools for objectively measuring phenotypic variation. Presently, we conduct all of our empirical research on wild populations in the field, where experimental and comparative work are complemented by several molecular investigations in the lab.
Read more about our current research throughout this website and by taking a look here and also here.
Dr. Drew Schield
NSF Postdoctoral Fellow.
Feb 2020 -
Drew is interested in the genomics of adaptation and speciation, and especially how evolutionary processes like recombination, gene flow, and selection shape diversity across the genomes of natural populations. He earned his Ph.D. in Todd Castoe’s lab at the University of Texas at Arlington, studying snake genomics and population genetics. His dissertation work focused on population structure and gene flow within the Western Rattlesnake species complex (Crotalus viridis + oreganus and relatives) and other related species (e.g., C. atrox and C. scutulatus). He continued work as a postdoc in the Castoe Lab for two years, working on questions related to genome structure and function in reptiles, snake sex chromosome evolution, and meiotic recombination in snakes.
In the Safran Lab, Drew will study the genomic architecture of speciation in barn swallows. His work will focus on the genomic landscape of divergence and how it relates to mate choice trait variation throughout the genus Hirundo. He is interested in using this framework to test the ‘genomic coupling’ hypothesis, which predicts that non-random associations between genomic regions underlying mate choice trait variation will accumulate over time, reducing gene flow and promoting reproductive isolation.
Read more about Drew here
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Antonia Schüerg
Fulbright Fellow Fall 2022 - Toni is a Fulbright Scholar this year from Germany. Her graduate studies in Heidelberg are focused on molecular biology and neuroscience. She wanted to come to CU Boulder to work with the Safran and McAdam Labs to study sexual selection in two different model organisms. She will work on a comparative project with Andrew and Becca on the role of territorial behaviour and extrapair mating in male reproductive success. Additionally, during her stay she hopes to learn much about the work in EBIO! |
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