My current research focuses on how the brain of the orb-weaving spider Uloborus diversus encodes and produces this remarkable sequence of stereotyped, yet flexible, behaviors that result in the intricate structure that is the spider's web. What are the 'rules' in the brain that govern the different web-building stages, and how are they modified by changes in the environment or in the internal state of the animal? I am using pharmacological, genetic, behavior tracking and modeling approaches to address these questions.

I am a neuroscientist interested in how animals sense and interact with their environment. I earned my PhD in Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where I worked in the lab of Dr. Chris Potter on the neurogenetics of olfactory signaling in flies (Drosophila melanogaster) and mosquitoes (Anopheles coluzzii). I am currently a Postdoc in Biology in the lab of Dr. Andrew Gordus at Johns Hopkins University, working on the neural basis of spider web-building behavior. I am interested in incorporating modeling to understand both neural circuits in the brain and motor behaviors of the spider.

Our research focuses on biochemical adaptation of marine organisms to environmental stress, including temperature, osmotic, pH, and hypoxic stress. My research group is interested how food availability affects the stress proteome response through the signaling networks of sirtuins, NAD-depedent deacylase, which are key regulators of energy homeostasis and the oxidative stress response. While we focus on biochemical changes, we also aim to integrate across various levels of biological organization, including cells, organ (tissues), behavior and whole organism level.

1. APPOINTMENTS
Professor: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, 2017-Present
Associate Professor: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, 2011-2017
Assistant Professor: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, 2005 – 2011
2. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Postdoctoral Researcher: Proteomics (Dr. Kültz), University of California, Davis, 2003 – 2005
Postdoctoral Researcher: Biochemical Adaptation (Dr. Somero), Stanford, 1999 –2003
3. EDUCATION
Ph.D.: Oregon State University, Corvallis, Zoology, 1999 (Dr. G. Somero)
MS, BS: University of Konstanz, Germany, Biology, 1995 (Dr. M. Simon)

My research focuses on control of crustacean reproduction related to hormones and stress (physiological, thermal, density).

I study the biomechanics and neural control of swimming in fishes. My research addresses two broad questions. First, how do fishes produce the forces that propel them forward and enable them to maneuver so effectively? And second, how do they control their locomotion in the face of a complex and variable environment? The ultimate goal of this research is to develop general principles to understand how fishes swim and maneuver stably yet effectively, and how these principles have affected the evolution of the body plan of fishes and vertebrates as a whole.

I studied biology and physics as an undergraduate at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, then did an M.Phil. in Zoology at Cambridge University under Charlie Ellington, and a Ph.D. at Harvard University with George Lauder studying the fluid dynamics of swimming eels. My postdoctoral work was in Neuroscience at University of Maryland, College Park, where I worked on neural control of swimming in lampreys, followed by a research scientist position at Johns Hopkins University, where I worked with Noah Cowan and Eric Fortune on electrosensory processing in knifefishes. I started as an Assistant Professor at Tufts University in 2012.

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I am a disease, ecosystem, and quantitative ecologist. His research focuses broadly on within-host community ecology and the role of infection in host behavior and physiology. I employ a variety of field, laboratory, and modelling approaches to better understand the transmission and ecological importance of disease across biological scales.

I carry a BS from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse, an MS from the University of Minnesota Integrated Biosciences program, and a PhD from Purdue University. After completing my doctorate, I did a Post Doc at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities and taught for two years at Crown College in central Minnesota. I am currently a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Minnesota State University Mankato focusing on Parasite Ecology and Invertebrate Zoology. I often work with undergraduate and Master's level researchers.

During my career up until recently, I have been focusing on how animals respond to environmental stressors and how their responses are shaped by developmental environments. However, as several reviews pointed out, how animals respond to stressors and their fitness outcome depends on multiple factors, making it difficult to develop a predictive model of stress and consequences. Recently, I have developed a theoretical model of stress called Damage-Fitness Model which aimed to circumvent the context dependency of stress responses and focus on downstream effects of stress responses. My goal of the next few years is to turn this theoretical model into a mathematical model. Because I have no training in modeling, I have started some collaboration towards this goal and this workshop will help provide necessary background in modeling to pursue this goal even further.

Our lab studies how animals modify their phenotypes in response to environmental cues through phenotypic flexibility and developmental plasticity. Recently, we are interested in physiological mechanisms behind stress resilience and the role developmental environment plays in building stress resilience later in life. My training is in neuroendocrine response to stress and our lab is expanding our exploration into cellular stress responses, including heat shock proteins and antioxidants.

Environmental variability can range from daily to decadal time scales. Many forms of environmental variability shape ecosystems, and, consequently, the human communities that depend on them. Understanding this variability and managing in the face of uncertainty is critical for ecosystem management. This is especially true in the context of climate change, where many environmental factors (e.g. droughts) are expected to intensify and occur more regularly. Dr. White's work focuses on these ideas in the context of species monitoring and the management of ecosystems, including coral reef fisheries.

Dr. Easton White is a quantitative ecologist working to solve problems in ecology, conservation, sustainability, and ecosystem management. His current projects include designing protected area networks, optimizing species monitoring, and modeling coupled socio-ecological systems. He is a Research Associate in the Biology Department at the University of Vermont. You can read more about his work on his website: https://eastonwhite.github.io/