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: I am examining sensory hair cell regeneration in Atlantic Croaker (Micropogonias undulatus). 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
Amanda Kirkland	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
Anastasia Konefal	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
Xindi Liu	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
Taylor Murphy	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 Advisor: Dr. Kelly Boyle Research: As a member of the Fish Morphology and Behavior Lab (https://www.fishmorphandbehavior.org), I investigate impacts of vessel noise on sciaenid fishes in the northern Gulf of Mexico. With field recordings I observe calling behavior of Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) spawning aggregations alongside vessel noise. My in-lab research is focused on hearing threshold shifts and hair cell damage post noise exposure in Silver Perch (Bairdiella chrysoura). I also research how calling in Atlantic Croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) is altered while vessel noise is played to fish in the laboratory. My goal is to better understand how animal behavior may be altered by noise pollution and better inform how we may protect our local fisheries. Email: bprice2@my.uno.edu
Adam Quade	Ph.D. Program Advisor: Dr. Kelly Boyle (UNO) & Rieucau (LUMCON) Research: My research focuses on understanding and improving floodplain management. I aim to assess spatiotemporal changes in abundance, biomass, size class distribution, and behavior of native Louisiana floodplain associated fishes utilizing advanced observational techniques such as acoustic resolution imaging sonar technology. I am also interested in how variations in abiotic and biotic factors of the floodplain influence the schooling dynamics of social fishes. Finally, I am attempting to establish underwater passive acoustic monitoring as an efficient and effective means of assessing floodplain ecosystem health. Email: ahquade@uno.edu or aquade@lumcon.edu
Mahaut Sorlin	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