CTRD Graduate and Postdoc Trainees

Our goal is to attract and retain talented and diverse trainees to earn PhDs in their home departments and programs with an emphasis on interdisciplinary training that focuses on sexual development and reproductive behavior. We will also provide advanced training to recent PhDs.

We are pleased to introduce our eighth cohort of pre- and postdoctoral trainees for the 2012-2013 year.

2012-2013 Trainees

	Oliver Beckers: Oliver's postdoctoral research investigates how development and genes coordinate the matched expression of morphology and reproductive behavior, using molecular and behavioral assays. He studies males of the dung beetle, Onthophagus taurus, which express two distinct morphological phenotypes in response to early nutrition: high-nutrition males express large head horns, while low-nutrition males do not develop horns as adults. Males display alternative behavior that is functionally linked to horn expression. Horned males fight for females; hornless males adopt a sneaking strategy. Hornless males are unsuccessful ‘fighters’ and horned males are unsuccessful ‘sneakers.’ Oliver is studying how this match between behavior and morphology develops.
	Justin Garcia: Justin is interested in the evolutionary and biological foundations of human social monogamy and pair-bonding, infidelity, and sexual behavior. He is also interested in motivational factors involved in sexual and romantic relationships during the developmental period of emerging adulthood. His postdoctoral research involves a biopsychosocial model, thus far incorporating psychosocial techniques with behavioral endocrinology and behavioral neurogenetics. Justin is currently co-editing a volume on the role of women as active agents in the evolutionary process – Evolution’s Empress: Darwinian Perspectives on the Nature of Women (Oxford University Press).
	Amanda Gibson: Amanda's research aims to compare populations that diverge in their reproductive strategies and to understand the evolutionary pressures underlying this divergence. Specifically, she examines the role of host-parasite coevolution in the evolution of sexual reproduction and the maintenance of genetic diversity. She integrates three distinct approaches to address this general theme: phylogenetic comparative analyses of mating system and parasitism in the phylum Nematoda, experimental evolution in the laboratory using nematodes and their parasites, and field surveys of natural populations of freshwater snails and their parasites in New Zealand.
	Aubrey Kelly: Aubrey's research is focused on the ways in which nonapeptides (vasopressin- and oxytocin-like peptides) and dopamine systems modulate social, reproductive, and anxiety-like behaviors in sex- and phenotypic-specific ways in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). Nonapeptide neurons in the extended amygdala are of particular interest, because these cells and their projections are sexually dimorphic in many vertebrates, and they respond selectively to social stimuli. Aubrey is a PhD candidate in the Department of Biology.
	Mark Peterson: Mark's predoctoral research focuses on the role of hormone-mediated gene expression in explaining behavioral and physiological differences between the sexes. Males and females share nearly identical genomes, yet often differ dramatically in both appearance and behavior. Understanding the ways in which gene expression explains these differences allows investigation into dimorphism and suggests ways in which species divergence may proceed. Because hormones often differ between the sexes, and correlate with dimorphic phenotypes, it is important to understand their role in developing and maintaining sexual dimorphism and individual variation.
	Melissa Toups: Melissa's predoctoral research investigates the process of sex-chromosome formation and the genomic consequences of sex-chromosome evolution. Sex chromosomes are thought to be instrumental in resolving sexual antagonism through their sex-biased or sex-specific inheritance. Melissa's research examines how sexual conflict is resolved by studying evolution of nonmodel sex-chromosome systems, such as birds (ZZ/ZW), monotremes (multiple-X), and the mosquito Aedes aegypti (homomorphic sex chromosomes). Specifically, she studies in gene movement, sex-biased gene expression, and structural changes associated with the evolution of sex chromosomes in these systems.

Past Trainees

	Jennifer "Jef" Akst: Jef’s predoctoral research investigated mating systems and sexual selection in the lined seahorse, Hippocampus erectus. Through a series of controlled laboratory experiments with captive animals, she examined the courtship behavior of this species and explored the mate choice behavior of both sexes. Jef received her M.A. in 2009 and is a science writer at The Scientist magazine.
	Jonathan Atwell: Jonathan’s predoctoral research focused on evaluating how associated hormonal, immunological, morphological, and behavioral traits have responded in integrated or independent ways following a unique colonization event, in which a historically montane-breeding songbird (the Dark-eyed junco) established an isolated population in an urban, coastal environment. This system provides an ideal opportunity to study rapid evolution and adaptive plasticity, and Jonathan is investigating these questions with respect to population differences, sex differences, seasonality, and patterns of trait covariation. Jonathan received his Ph.D. in 2011 and is currently a post-doctoral researcher at Indiana University.
	Christine Bergeon Burns: Christy’s predoctoral research examines the evolution of hormone-mediated suites of traits. Hormones are important mediators of life-history trade-offs, and the multiple targets of hormones may facilitate or constrain adaptive divergence. Her research asks whether relationships between the hormone testosterone and phenotypic traits observed in one population of a songbird, the Dark-eyed junco (J. hyemalis), are consistent or different across a divergent subspecies facing different selective pressures. Further, Christy is investigating how variation in neural androgen sensitivity may relate to these hormone-phenotype relationships. Christy is a continuing Ph.D. student at Indiana University.
	Yaniv Brandvain: Yaniv’s predoctoral research investigated the evolutionary consequences of systems of mating, such as inbreeding/outbreeding and monandry/polyandry. He considered how inbreeding affects the probability of fixation of good gene combinations, and also examined the evolution of genomic imprinting under differing mating systems with both theory and data. Yaniv completed his Ph.D in 2010 and is a post-doctoral researcher at UC Davis.
	Kristal Cain: Kristal’s predoctoral research examines the mechanisms and selection pressures that lead to sex differences in morphology and behavior. She looks at females that are male typical in body size or coloring (or androgynous) to determine is they are also more similar to males in behavior, which would indicate a common mechanism controlling trait expression. She is also working to determine if exposure to androgens during development or in adulthood is driving this covariation, and whether there are consequences for androgynous females’ survival and reproductive success. Kristal is a continuing Ph.D. student at Indiana University and will begin post-doctoral studies in Australia in 2012.
	Amy Cash: Amy’s predoctoral research uses the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) as a model to examine the genetic pathways that regulate gametogenesis and the correct production of female and male gametes. Specifically, her research is focused on understanding two critical components of gamete production: the correct establishment of sexual identity in germ cells and the proper maintenance and differentiation of female and male germline stem cells. By studying genes involved in these processes, her research will provide insight into the specific genetic pathways that underlie gamete production.
	Idelle Cooper: Idelle’s predoctoral research focused on the evolution of sex differences, particularly by natural selection, by examining color patterns and ecological niche type in the Hawaiian Megalagrion damselfly phylogeny. This research was completed using a combination of field surveys of the distribution of color patterns and measuring correlated ecological variables, as well as conducting lab and field experiments to identify the selective pressures on color. Idelle received her Ph.D. in 2008 and is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Jenny Boughman at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
	Amy Dapper: Amy’s predoctoral research focuses on evolution of conditionally expressed traits. Specifically, she is examining how juvenile hormone regulates male and sex-dimorphic horns in the dung beetle genus Onthophagus. By better understanding how developmental mechanisms contributes to variation in the degree and direction of horn polymorphisms, her research will help to elucidate important factors underlying the evolutionary origins of morphological diversity. Amy is a continuing Ph.D. student at Indiana University.
	Mollee Ferrell: Mollee’s predoctoral research examines sex differences in behavioral, physiological, and morphological responses to chronic stress. Specifically, she is investigating how gonadal hormones contribute to stress-induced changes in medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala in both males and females. Her research aims to characterize the relationship between sex differences and alterations in structure and function in the corticolimbic circuit due to stress.
	Susannah French: Susannah's postdoctoral research investigated the occurrence and regulation of physiological trade-offs between vital life-history processes; in particular, how energy is allocated between the reproductive and immune systems using the Siberian hamster model (Phodopus sungorus). She was also interested in how organisms regulate and maintain these key life-history processes in the face of a changing environment, especially specific aspects of anthropogenic (e.g., introduction of pathogens; degradation of habitat; altered resource availability) influence using the Galapagos marine iguana model (Amblyrhynchus cristatus). Susannah is now an Assistant Professor at Utah State University.
	Timothy Greives: Tim's predoctoral research examined how environmentally relevant cues are integrated by organisms allowing appropriate alteration of reproductive status. Specifically, he focused on the neuropeptide kisspeptin, investigating its effects in hamsters housed in "summer-like" and "winter-like" photoperiods. Tim received his Ph.D. in 2009 and is pursuing postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Dr. Michaela Hau at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany.
	Britt Heidinger: Britt's predoctoral research was designed to investigate whether modifications of the stress response underlie age-related changes in reproductive effort in a long-lived seabird, the common tern. Britt tested whether older parents have higher reproductive performance than younger parents in part because they respond less strongly to stressors. Britt received her Ph.D. in 2007 and is a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Pat Monaghan, Division of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, University of Glasgow.
	Jennifer Hackney: Jennifer’s postdoctoral research uses the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) as a model to examine endocrine-immune interactions during development. Specifically, her research is focused on understanding the mechanism by which injury to specific tissues leads to a global delay in development (e.g. prolonged larval and pupal stages) characterized by decreased synthesis of the steroid hormone ecdysone. In addition, she is interested in examining how injury to adult females affects ovarian follicle development, an ecdysone dependent process.
	Winnie Ho: Winnie’s predoctoral research focuses on the evolution of the physiological mechanisms that underlie sexually dimorphic behavior. Specifically, she is investigating how the neuroendocrine pathways regulating electrocommunication behavior in black ghost knifefish (Apteronotus albifrons), differ across populations that show variation in the magnitude of sexual dimorphism in those electrocommunication signals. Winnie is a continuing Ph.D. student at Indiana University.
	James Klatt: James' predoctoral research examines the evolution of the neural systems associated with social bonding. His research focuses on sex differences in the oxytocin and vasopressin family of neuropeptides and their effects on pair bonding and parental care in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). James is a continuing Ph.D. student at Indiana University.
	Liz Lehman: Liz’s predoctoral research investigated the role of tetrodotoxin (TTX) in rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa) eggs as an antipredator mechanism, examining the effect of egg toxicity on reproductive success. Liz received her Ph.D. in 2006 and is currently a tutoring coordinator in Science Education at the University of Chicago.
	Kathryn Lenz: Katy's predoctoral research focused on the effects of early maternal care on neural and behavioral development. Specifically, Katy examined whether alterations in maternal licking influence the development of the spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus (SNB) in rats, a motor nucleus in the lumbar spinal cord involved in the production of male sexual behavior. Katy received her Ph.D. in 2009 and is a post-doctoral researcher at the School of Medicine, University of Maryland-Baltimore.
	Joel McGlothlin: Joel's predoctoral research focused on the evolution of groups of traits used by males to obtain mates. Specifically, he examined the role of sexual selection in shaping patterns of integration among morphological, physiological, and behavioral traits, including plumage, testosterone production and parental behavior. Joel received his Ph.D. in 2007 and is currently a research scientist at the University of Virginia.
	Dawn O'Neal: Dawn's predoctoral research took a comparative approach to investigating potential mechanisms (e.g., immune function) mediating the evolution of sex differences in migratory behavior in the dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis). Specifically, her research dealt with the effect of environment (i.e. winter climate and recent warming events) on wintering birds and their decisions regarding choice of winter location and the effects of this choice on winter health and survival. Dawn completed her Ph.D in 2010 and was a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Georgia. She is currently Director of Conservation Education at the Huyck Preserve and Biological Research Station in New York.
	Kim Rosvall: Kim is interested in the evolutionary significance of armaments and ornaments in females. In her dissertation work, she quantified the fitness costs and benefits of intrasexual aggression in female tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). As a postdoctoral researcher, Kim will continue to study aggressive behavior in females, focusing instead on underlying neuroendocrine mechanisms. Using the dark eyed junco (Junco hyemalis), Kim will explore whether behavioral differences among females and between the sexes map onto variation in neural sensitivity to testosterone (e.g. androgen receptor expression). Kim is currently an Assistant Research Scientist at Indiana University.
	Mayté Ruiz: Mayté’s predoctoral research investigated courtship behavior in sagebrush lizards, Sceloporus graciosus. Her research focused on the interactions between male courtship display and female reproductive state. She is also interested in examining the costs associated with courtship in S. graciosus. Mayté received her Ph.D in 2010 and is conducting research in Puerto Rico.
	Heather Rupp: Heather's postdoctoral resesarch investigated the cognitive processing of sexual stimuli using comparative models across species, while combining behavioral, psychophysiological, and functional neuroimaging techniques to help uncover the role of the brain in sexual arousal. Heather has completed her postdoctoral studies and is an Assistant Research Scientist with the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction where she received a $423,500 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to study the mechanisms behind postpartum depression (IU press release). Heather is currently a neuroscience consultant and a Founder at Corporate Callosum Consulting, LLC and a Research Fellow at the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction.
	Sarah Schaack: Sarah’s predoctoral research focused on the influence of recombination (or sex) on the gain and loss of transposable elements in Daphnia pulex, a freshwater microcrustacean. Sarah’s work has bearing on the origin and evolution of sex, the repeated evolution of asexuality, the costs and benefits of recombination for hosts and parasites, and the impact of mutation load as a selective pressure influencing reproductive mode. Sarah received her Ph.D. in 2008 completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the laboratories of Ellen Pritham and Cedric Feschotte at University of Texas, Arlington, and is currently an HHMI postdoctoral fellow at Lewis and Clark University.
	Lynn Siefferman: Lynn's postdoctoral research investigated the proximate determinants and evolutionary significance of blue coloration in the feathers (microstructure) and eggs (biliverdin pigments) of eastern bluebirds. Lynn has completed her postdoctoral studies and is an Associate Professor of Biology at Appalachian State University.
	Tom Verhovshek: The goal of Tom’s predoctoral research was to further characterize the role of androgens in the maintenance of the neuromuscular system underlying male sexual behavior. Specifically, he was interested in how androgens interact with brain-derived neurotrophic factor both centrally and peripherally to influence motoneuron morphology in the spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus (SNB). Tom received his Ph.D in 2010 and is a postdoctoral researcher at the IU School of Medicine.
	Devin Zysling: Devin's predoctoral research focused on the physiological mechanisms underlying seasonal variation in immune response. She characterized energetic trade-offs between reproduction and immune function, using the Siberian hamster (Phodopus sungorus), a small, seasonally breeding mammal that requires long days (LD) for reproductive activity. Devin received her Ph.D. in 2008 and is a post-doctoral researcher at Cornell University.