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Lab Alumni

Dr. Daria Koscinski, Postdoctoral Associate: Comparative landscape genetics of swallowtail butterflies in fragmented landscapes. Daria went on to become a Conservation Biologist with the Carolinian Canada Coalition and is now Executive Director of the Thames Talbot Land Trust.

Mel Lucas, Ph.D.: Population genomics of the alpine butterfly, Parnassius smintheus, using ddRADseq. Mel is currently a post-doc with Dave Coltman at Western University and Catherine Cullingham at Carleton University.

Maryam Jangjoo, Ph.D.: Spatial and temporal patterns of neutral and adaptive genetic variation in the alpine butterfly, Parnassius smintheus. Maryam is a Research Fellow at SickKids Hospital.

Benoit Talbot, Ph.D.: Genetic attributes of host association in an ectoparasite of bats (Jointly supervised with Dr. Brock Fenton). Benoit moved on to a post-doc at the University of Ottawa with Dr. Manisha Kulkarni.

Gordana, Rasic, Ph.D.: Developing a model system in landscape genetics using the insect inhabitants of pitcher plants. Gordana moved on to a post-doctoral position at the University of Melbourne in Dr. Ary Hoffmann’s lab and is now Team Head for Mosquito Genomics at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research.

Lindsay Crawford, Ph.D.: Conservation and population genetics of butterflies in fragmented habitats. Lindsay went on to become a Health Canada Science Policy Fellow and now works for Environment & Climate Change Canada.

Shay Kroeze, M.Sc.: Genetics to inform restoration of the Mottled Duskywing butterfly. Shay went on to a PhD studying arctic shorebirds with Vicki Friesen at Queen's University, as a NSERC scholar.

Kevin Park, M.Sc.: Genetic effects of local extinctions in a butterfly metapopulation. Kevin is currently a research associate with the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo.

Helen Chen, M.Sc.: Assessing landscape effects on genetics and dispersal of the Rocky Mountain apollo butterfly, Parnassius smintheus, using a resistance mapping approach. Helen is an environmental consultant with Jacobs Consultancy.

Jenna Siu, M.Sc.: Edge responses of swallowtail butterflies in a fragmented landscape. Jenna went on to work in the Conservation field and is now with the Canadian Wildlife Service.

John O’Leary, M.Sc.: Population and landscape genetics of the pitcher plant flesh fly across Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario. John went on to medical school.

Kristina Zilic, M.Sc.: Population genetic structure of the pitcher plant mosquito across multiple spatial scales using AFLP markers. Kristina went on to law school and now works in the area of intellectual property law.

Katie Millette, M.Sc.: Landscape genetics of the pitcher flesh fly across spatial scales: Effects of habitat composition and configuration. Katie went to McGill University to do her Ph.D. with Dr. Melania Cristescu.

Liam Frape, M.Sc: Kinematic and genetic analysis of the wood frog, Rana sylvatica. Liam moved on to medical school.

Sheri Maxwell, M.Sc.: Inferring patterns of movement and host-plant use in the western cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis indifferens, using microsatellite markers. Sheri became a research technician at UBC Okanagan.

Lydia Jocius, B.Sc. (Honours thesis): Could mating incompatibility due to Wolbachia interfere with reintroduction efforts of the Mottled Duskywing butterfly? Lydia went on to a summer research position at CABI (Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International), Switzerland.

Michela Contursi, B.Sc. (Honours thesis): ) Temporal analysis of genetic diversity in an isolated, urban  population of the Bog Copper butterfly. Michela went on to a M.Sc. in Biology at the University of Waterloo with Hugh Broders.

Pelumi Adeyemo, B.Sc. (Honours thesis): Effects of the GPDH gene on dispersal in the alpine butterfly, Parnassius smintheus. Pelumi plans to pursue a career in genetic counselling.

Wendy Boucher, B.Sc. (Honours thesis): Thermoregulation explains why butterflies with light coloured wings avoid forest edges. Wendy went on to a professional Masters in bioenvironmental monitoring at Trent University.

Nikita Frizelle, B.Sc. (Honours thesis): Dispersal ability and flight morphology of the Rocky Mountain apollo Butterfly. Nikita went on to a M.Sc. at Western University with Liana Zanette.

Hannah deVries, B.Sc. (Honours thesis): Effects of body colouration of edge responses of butterflies.

Derek Andrew, B.Sc. (Honours thesis): Effect of body colour of forest/meadow edge responses of butterflies. 

Alex Glaros, B.Sc. (Honours thesis): Are pitcher plant mosquitos (Wyeomyia smithii) using wind to disperse?: Analyzing dispersal through wind and genetic relationships. Alex went on to a M.A. program in Geography and Environmental Management at the University of Waterloo.

Angela Wen, B.Sc. (Honours thesis):  Comparison of population estimation techniques for the bog copper butterfly (Lycaena epixanthe) in the Sifton Bog. Angela is looking for opportunities to combine her love of science and art.

Ryan Smith, B.Sc. (Honours thesis): Estimating census and effective population size in an isolated population of the bog copper butterfly (Lyceana epixanthe). Ryan went on to an M.Sc. program in Human Genetics at the University of Toronto.

Javeria Zafar, B.Sc. (Honours thesis): Estimation of population size and survival in an isolated population of the bog copper butterfly using mark-recapture. 

Christina Kim, B.Sc. (Honours thesis): Wing pattern variation among local populations of the bog copper butterfly (Lycaena epixanthe). Catherine moved on to pharmacy school.

Eliot Winkler, B.Sc. (Honours thesis): Population genetic analysis of an Algonquin Park bog copper butterfly (Lycaena epixanthe) population using polymorphic microsatellite loci. Eliot moved on to do his M.Sc. in Clinical Anatomy at Western.

Catherine DuGuay, B.Sc. (Honours thesis): Effects of logging on the genetic structure of the wood frog (Rana sylvatica). Catherine went on to do her M.Sc. at Queen’s University with Dr. Adam Chippindale.

Kaitlin Watt, B.Sc. (Honours thesis): Effects of non-lethal tissue removal on reproductive behaviour of butterflies. Kaitlin moved on to study occupational therapy.

Heidi Keller, B.Sc. (NSERC USRA): Effects of non-lethal tissue removal on behaviour and survival of butterflies. Heidi went on to nursing school after spending a year teaching and traveling in Asia.

Noah Shapiro, B.Sc. (Honours thesis): Develpoing genetic tags to track dispersal in the alpine butterfly, Parnassius smintheus. Noah went on to do his M.Sc. at the University of Guelph with Dr. James Ballantyne.