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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 and Interests
Laura Alexander
Laura Alexander
 Ph.D. Program
Advisor: DeVries
Research: I study population characteristics of select species of understory butterflies in Costa Rican lowland rainforest.
Email: lgalexan86@gmail.com
Dawn Allenbach
Dawn Allenbach
 Ph.D. Program
Advisor: Rees
Research: I am studying how the herbicide atrazine affects development, growth, and reproduction in the Japanese medaka, Oryzias latipes.
Email: d_m_allenbach@yahoo.com
Anne Cespedes
Anne Cespedes
 Ph.D. Program
Advisor: DeVries
Research: I am pursuing a PhD in Conservation Biology in the DeVries lab with a focus on insect diversity, ecology, and evolution. Currently, my research is focused on how selection acts to shape butterfly flight behaviors via wing morphology and microhabitat distribution.
Email:anniecespedes@gmail.com
 
Mengying Chiang 
Mengying Chiang
 M.S. Program
Advisor: Liu
Research: My project focuses on how amino acids are sensed by a single amino acid sensor and the factors of Cysteine toxicity in Yeast cells.
Email:
Tess Clapp
Tess Clapp
 Ph.D. Program
Advisor: Bell
Research: I am studying phylogenetics within the cord grass genus Spartina across its broad geographic range.
Email:
Lyndon Coghill
Lyndon Coghill
 Ph.D. Program
Advisor: Johnson
Research: My research is using traditional and novel molecular techniques in assessing comparative phylogeography, population ecology and genetic structure of aquatic organisms in Northern Mexico. I am working to specifically address these questions looking at several endemic species of fish located in the valley of Cuatro Ciénegas, Mexico which has the highest degree of endemicity of any freshwater habitat in North America.
Personal Website:www.lyndoncoghill.com
Email: lmcoghil@uno.edu
Patricia Dehon
 M.S. Program
Advisor: Clancy
Research:coming soon
Email: pmdehon@uno.edu
Tierna Dragoman
Tierna Dragoman
 M.S. Program
Advisor: Schluchter
Research: My project involves characterization of enzymes involved in bilin addition to phycoerythrin and phycocyanin subunits in various cyanobacteria.
Email:
Jessica Edwards
Jessica Edwards
 Ph.D. Program
Advisor: Lailvaux
Research: Ecology and Interactions of invasive and native anole species.
Email:
Adrienne Egge
Adrienne Egge 
 Ph.D. Program
Advisor: Johnson
Research: My research project explores the population and landscape genetics of Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes sp.) in Northern Virginia with a focus on defining "Urban Populations".
Email: alegge@uno.edu
Tracie Fausterman
 M.S. Program
Advisor: Anthony
Research:coming soon
Email: tfauster@uno.edu
Alex Figueroa
Alex Figueroa 
 Ph.D. Program
Advisor: Lailvaux
Research: I am researching the evolution and behavioral ecology of arboreal snakes. I am specifically interested in quantifying the number of times arboreality has evolved in snakes and measuring the level of morphological convergence in distantly related species.
Email:
Sadari Fisher 
 M.S. Program
Advisor: USDA
Research:coming soon
Email:
Cathryn Garvey
Cathryn Garvey 
 M.S. Program
Advisor: Schluchter/USDA/Maleki
Research: Structural, functional and immunological assays on a recombinant peanut allergens to determine the effects of food processing on peanut proteins and how it relates to food allergies.
Email: cegarvey@uno.edu
Bhuwan Guragain 
 M.S. Program
Advisor: Sridhar
Research:coming soon
Email:
Robin Henry
Robin Henry 
 Ph.D. Program
Advisor: Leibo
Research: I am focusing on reproductive biology, and my project involves spermatogonial stem cell isolation and transplantation in the domestic cat as a possible model for exotic cats.
Email: rrhenry1@uno.edu
Jenna Hill
Jenna Hill 
 M.S. Program
Advisor: Rees
Research: My research project is focused on proteins called hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs). HIFs are transcription factors that are known to be the master regulators of oxygen dependent gene expression. I have been analyzing HIFs in the killifish Fundulus heteroclitus and zebrafish Danio rerio.
Email: jdhill3@uno.edu
Christina Kronfel
Christina Kronfel  
 M.S. Program
Advisor: Schluchter
Research: My project involves characterization of phycoerythrin biosynthesis in the cyanobacterium Fremyella diplosiphon.
Email: cmkronfe@uno.edu
 Cara Nighohossian 
 M.S. Program
Advisor: Howard
Research:coming soon
Email: cbnighoh@uno.edu
Catie Policastro 
Catie Policastro 
 M.S. Program
Advisor: Lailvaux
Research: Studying the stereotyped displays of Anolis carolinensis.
Email:
Elizabeth Rufman
Elizabeth
Rufmann
 M.S. Program
Advisor: Howard
Research: I am studying how controlled burns affect grassland bird species habitat preferences at the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge.
Email:
Trent Santonastaso
Trent
Santonastaso
 Ph.D. Program
Advisor: Anthony
Research: We are characterizing immunogenes in the reptile genome. Along with these genes under selective pressure we will use microsatellite multiplexes to determine how parasites influence host genetic structure both spatially and temporally.
Email: tsantona@my.uno.edu
Robinson Sudan Ph.D. Program
Advisor: Howard
Research:coming soon
Email: rwsudan@uno.edu
Gwendolyn Webster
Gwendolyn Webster		 Ph.D. Program
Advisor: Lailvaux
Research: I am currently examining the origin and maintenance of female preference for exaggerated male traits in Xiphophorus helleri.
Email:
Jennifer Wester M.S. Program
Advisor: Howard
Research:coming soon
Email: