OSyM Participants
Type of Researcher
Members | ||
---|---|---|
Amanda Wilson Carter
Organismal Biologist |
NSF Postdoctoral Fellow
Universiy of Tennessee acarte82@utk.edu |
Research Summary I study how thermal variability impacts phenotype and fitness across taxa and focus on temperature-dependent physiology during formative life history stages, namely development and reproduction. My research provides critical insight into the mechanisms that may underlie responses to climate change by enhancing the resolution with which we understand the impact of temperature on organisms. Biographical Info I am an eco-physiologist broadly interested in how the environment generates phenotypic diversity. My research focuses on how temperature mean and variation affects physiology and behavior across an individual’s lifetime. I currently work as an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Tennessee and utilize dung beetles as a model system of developmental plasticity. |
Bradley Wood
Organismal Biologist |
Postdoc
Wellesley College bw100@wellesley.edu |
Research Summary My current postdoctoral research is focused on the kinematics of fish locomotion and integrates electromyography, 3D videography, and field observations to better understand the biomechanics and physiology of propulsion and intermittent locomotion in Bluegill Sunfish. Biographical Info I am interested in the functional, ecological, and evolutionary morphology of organisms and how scientific modeling (e.g., 3D imaging and biomechanical modeling) aids in untangling the complexity intrinsic to the interaction between organisms and their environment. To pursue these interests, I studied the explanatory role and power of scientific models in functional morphology by completing an M.A. thesis in the philosophy of science. With a firm theoretical understanding of model building and deployment, I then studied the functional, ecological, and evolutionary morphology of Sea Lampreys for a Ph.D. in comparative anatomy under the guidance of Dr. Dominique G. Homberger at LSU, Baton Rouge. Through my Ph.D. research, I integrated field observations of spawning Sea Lampreys with an anatomical analysis of their trunk musculature by using microdissection, histology, and 3D imaging based on MRI to develop biomechanical models of trunk bending involved in locomotion. Since biomechanical models based on anatomical and behavioral data must be tested with physiological data about kinematics and muscle performance, after completing my Ph.D. in December 2019, I began post-doctoral research in January 2020 on Bluegill Sunfish (Lepomis microchirus) to learn fish biomechanics, muscle physiology, electromyography, and field videography techniques under the guidance of Dr. Dave Ellerby at Wellesley College, MA. Upon completion of my post-doctoral research, I will use my broad training in comparative anatomy and physiology to develop a research program that integrates anatomy, physiology, and field observations to study the interplay between the structure and function of organisms. |
Sarah Woodin
Organismal Biologist |
Professor
University of South Carolina Columbia swoodin@gmail.com |
Research Summary paired field and laboratory experiments in intertidal sedimentary systems focusing on ecosystem engineers and their effects on community development and persistence Biographical Info experimental field ecologist, specializing in dynamics of sedimentary habitats |
Arthur Woods
Organismal Biologist |
Professor
University of Montana Division of Biological Sciences art.woods@mso.umt.edu |
Research Summary I work on a set of projects examining how climate change is affecting invertebrates, especially insects. Current projects focus on the thermal ecology of plant-insect interactions, and an emerging new direction is aquatic insect ecophysiology. Biographical Info Arthur Woods received a PhD at the University of Washington with advisor Joel Kingsolver. After a three-year postdoc at Arizona State University, he joined UT-Austin as a lecturer. Five years later (2006), Arthur joined faculty at the University of Montana, where he has served since. Keywords: physiological ecology, respiratory physiology, plant-insect interactions |
Hao Ye
Modeler |
Postdoc
University of Florida hao.ye@weecology.org Website |
Research Summary My research involves developing new methods for integrating time series analysis and machine learning to better understand processes and mechanisms in complex systems (a framework called "Empirical Dynamic Modeling"). My work typically examines ecological change in populations and communities, though the methods are general in being able to reconstruct the temporal dynamics of any generic dynamical system; applications to other domains have included neuroscience, astrophysics, glacial climate cycles, medicine, and more. Biographical Info I am a computational ecologist, with a background and degrees in computer science, experimental psychology, and oceanography. Currently, I am a postdoctoral associate and Moore Data fellow in the Weecology Lab at the University of Florida. I am involved in various activities to promote open science, as well as inclusion, equity, and accessibility in academia, including serving as a mentor for the Mozilla Open Leaders program, the upcoming Open Life Science program (https://openlifesci.org/), teaching Ally Skills workshops at my university as part of the Gainesville Ally Skills Network (https://alligatorallyskills.weebly.com/), and associate editor for Methods in Ecology and Evolution. |
Jeannette Yen
Organismal Biologist |
Professor
Center for Biologically Inspired Design at Georgia Tech jeannette.yen@biosci.gatech.edu Center for Biologically Inspired Design |
Research Summary Jeannette Yen is a Professor of Biology at Georgia Tech. Her Ph.D. is in interdisciplinary environmental science of biological oceanography where she studies how fluid mechanical and chemical cues transported at low Re flow serve as communication channels for micro-aquatic organisms, primarily zooplankton: key link in aquatic food webs. Biographical Info Jeannette Yen |
Margaret Zhang
Biomechanic, Engineer |
Graduate Studnet
University of Michigan Mechanical Engineering maggiejz@umich.edu |
Research Summary Mammalian Tail Functional Morphology Biographical Info Maggie Zhang is a second-year Mechanical Engineering PhD Candidate at the University of Michigan. She received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology with a minor in German. She is currently advised by Talia Y. Moore of the Evolution and Motion of Biology and Robotics(EMBiR) Lab at U of M. Her current work in the EMBiR Lab involves understanding the full abilities of mammalian tails and understanding how their biological properties influence complex control. This involves conducting live experimentations and biomechanical testing of different tailed species to understand the appendage. In the future, she is interested in accurately translating these biological properties into robotics. |