PhD Candidate
hdk26
Research Interests
I am interested in understanding reproductive barrier traits, the genes that underly them, and how they can contribute to the formation of new species. My current projects focus on populations of European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis, a moth that occurs as two pheromone strains in North America and Europe. My research utilizes amplicon sequencing techniques to explore the Z-chromosome and the barrier genes that it contains. I also utilize whole-genome resequencing approaches to look at moth genomes in greater detail, with a special focus on the genes underlying pheromone signal and response, seasonal timing, and circadian rhythms. I use a mix of population genetics and computational analysis to understand the history of selection and neutral processes in order to make inferences about the evolutionary history of European corn borer and their closest relatives.
Brief CV
- 2014 – B.S. Ecology, Evolution, & Behavior, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
- 2014 – B.A. Scandinavian Languages & Finnish, College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
- 2014-Present – PhD Student, Cornell University
- 2014-2015 Presidential Life Sciences Fellow
- 2015-2016 Cornell Fellow