ARIP FACULTY | AGM Institute

ARIP Faculty Profile

Los Angeles, CA	University of Southern California (USC)
	Sergey Nuzhdin, Ph.D. University of Southern California ARIP Professor Professor of Biological Science Website: http://nlab.usc.edu/Home.html Areas of Expertise Behavior, Fly Behavior, planaria population genetics, mustard adaptation, legume agriculture, Plant Genomics, Drosophila Genomics. The main motivation is to be psyched about science and to have fun doing research. New topics, ideas, systems, and approaches are challenging for the research. At the Nuzhdin Lab, we are focused in research related to quantitative genetics, population genetics, and the genetics of speciation of Drosophila. In addition, members of the lab work on a variety of other systems and topics including environmental interactions and maternal effects in Medicago, stem-cell migration and differentiation in Planaria, and social interaction and aggression among Drosophila genotypes. . Please visit my lab website.
Los Angeles, CA	University of Southern California (USC)
	Mathew D. Dean, Ph.D. University of Southern California ARIP Professor Assistant Professor of Biological Science Molecular and Computational Biology Website: http://www-bcf.usc.edu/~matthedd/index.html Areas of Expertise In the broadest sense, the Dean lab studies evolutionary biology. More specifically, we are interested in sexual selection, and how males and females adapt to increase their own productive fitness. We integrate three methodological approaches: molecular, computational, and experimental. The wealth of publicly available data, coupled with bioinformatic skills, allows us to investigate lots of “side projects” revolving around evolutionary biology. Please visit my lab website.
Los Angeles, CA	University Southern California (USC)
	Regina Wetzer, Ph.D. University of Southern California (LA Museum of Natural History) ARIP Professor Adjunct Associate Professor of Biology Science Phylogenetic biology Areas of Expertise Interested in evolutionary questions about invertebrates and uses phylogenetic inference to investigate broad evolutionary patterns at a macroevolutionary scale. Her specialty is Crustacean with a focus on marine isopods (pill bug). The research includes exploring evolutionary hypotheses involving previously unexplained life history traits, homoplastic morphological features, and biogeographic distributions.

Washington, D.C.	George Washington University (GWU)
	Keith Crandall, Ph.D. George Washington University ARIP Academic Director & Professor Professor of Biology. Director of GWU computational Biology Institute kcrandall@gwu.edu Areas of Expertise Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Phylogenetics. Infectious Disease, Crustacean systematics, Molecular evolution, HIV, Population Genetics, Bacterial genomics, Conservation genetics. His research covers subjects ranging from the evolution of HIV and other infectious disease to bacterial genome evolution to the biogeography of freshwater crayfish. Dr. Crandall was a Fulbright Scholar at Oxford University, a recent recipient of the Edward O. Wilson Naturalist Award.
Washington, D.C.	George Washington University (GWU)
	Amy Zanne, Ph.D. George Washington University ARIP Professor Assistant Professor of biology Physiology, ecology and evolution Website: http://phylodiversity.net/azanne/ Areas of Expertise The research focus is typically not at the species but at the trait composition level. As selection will be acting within and among species via their expresses functional traits. Currently the lab has three themes: 1. Understanding interspecific differences in the wood decomposition rates. 2. Plant functional traits relationships and environmental gradients. 3. Global functional trait databases. Visit lab website

Boston, MA	Boston University (BU)
	Michael D. Sorenson, Ph.D. Boston University ARIP Professor Professor and Chair of Biology Website: http://people.bu.edu/msoren Areas of Expertise Avian Behavior ecology, speciation, population genomics, and molecular systematics. The research emphasizes molecular genetic approaches to problems in avian systematics, population biology, and behavioral biology. Current research includes: 1) Analyses of the population structure and evolutionary history of indigo bird population and species. 2) Molecular systematic analyses of the various groups of the various groups of avian brood parasites. 3) Molecular systematics and population genetics of the waterfowl (Family Anatidae: the ducks, geese, and swans). Please visit my lab website.
Boston, MA	Boston University (BU)
	Christopher J. Schneider, Ph.D. Boston University ARIP Professor Associate Professor of Biology Director, Center for Ecology & Conservation Biology Website: http://people.bu.edu/cschneid/Schneider_Lab/Welcome.html Areas of Expertise Evolution and adaptive diversification of reptiles and amphibians; systematics; population and comparative genomics; tropical biology and conservation. The research combines field studies with a variety of molecular genetics and phenotypic analyses to study adaptation, population biology, systematics, biogeography, and speciation of amphibians and reptiles. I welcome students who wish to purse conceptually similar studies in ecology, evolution, or conservation biology. Please visit my lab website.
Boston, MA	Boston University (BU)
	John R, Finnerty, Ph.D. Boston University ARIP Professor Associate Professor of Biology Director, Center for Ecology & Conservation Biology Website: http://people.bu.edu/jrf3/FinnertyLab/ Areas of Expertise Evolution of development, developmental genetics, phylogenetics, evolutionary genomics, invertebrate zoology: coral conservation. My laboratory tackles fundamental questions in biodiversity using an interdisciplinary approach that combines genomics, genetics, molecular biology, and ecology. The primary researches are coastal marine invertebrates- sea anemones, corals, and jellyfishes. Please visit my lab website.
Boston, MA	Boston University (BU)
	Sean Mullen, Ph.D. Boston University ARIP Professor Assistant Professor of Biology Director, Center for Ecology & Conservation Biology Website: http://people.bu.edu/smullen/ Areas of Expertise Adaptation and Speciation, Hybrid zones, the Evolution of mimicry and wing pattern variation in butterflies, Evolutionary Genetics, Comparative and Population Genomics, Bioinformatics. The research focuses on understanding how adaptive phenotypic variation arises and is maintained in natural population. My previous research has been focused on understanding the origins of mimicry and wing pattern various among hybridizing populations of mimetic and non-mimetic admiral butterflies. Current research efforts in the lab are directed at characterizing the proximal genetic mechanisms underlying examples of mimetic wing pattern variation in butterflies within a comparative evolutionary framework. Please visit my lab website.

Chicago, IL	University of Chicago (UOC)
	Mark Westneat, Ph.D. University of Chicago ARIP Professor Professor, Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy Website: http://pondside.uchicago.edu/oba/faculty/westneat_m.html Areas of Expertise Dr. Westneat is a Research Associate in Zoology at the Field Museum of Natural History and the former Director of biodiversity Synthesis Center. The research focuses on marine and freshwater fishes, the assessment and conservation of coral reef fishes, the biomechanics of feeding, locomotion and respiration in animals ranging from insects to fishes to birds, and the synthesis of evolutionary trees with biomechanical traits to better understanding evolution. Please visit my lab website.
Chicago, IL	University of Chicago (UOC)
	Melina Hale, Ph.D. University of Chicago ARIP Professor Professor, Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy -Committee on Neurobiology/Committee on Computational Neuroscience. Website: http://halelab.uchicago.edu/ Areas of Expertise Neuromechanics, Locomotor system. I am particularly interested in hindbrain and spinal cord neural circuits that drive paired fin movements and axial bending of the body. We use morphology, physiology, and behavior to examine how sensorimotor systems are organized and function. While most of our work is in the zebrafish, a great genetic model system, we are pursuing significant efforts n non model organisms to explore specialized functional systems, like lungfish limbs, and address questions of nervous system evolution. Please visit my lab website.

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