Welcome back folks to a fresh academic year. Times have been a little strange of late, and things a little quiet, but life has returned back to campus with a vengeance. As quarantine season dies back, vast herds of undergraduates resume their seasonal migration towards favored academic watering holes. There have even been confirmed sightings of elusive UW Biology graduate students, emerging from their summertime hide-aways and caught skulking though the halls of LSB. Speaking of graduate students, those of you back on campus may have noticed a few new faces among us. Catch a little bit about most them below, and be sure return the favor by striking a dramatic pose and introducing yourselves if you see them on campus!
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Leigh West
Leigh is interested in human-wildlife coexistence in the context of global environmental change. She is focused on interdisciplinary research and accessible outreach, aiming to inform conservation solutions that are mutually beneficial for people and wildlife. Before joining the Abrahms lab as a PhD student, Leigh worked varied field technician jobs in locations ranging from South Africa to the United States to Antarctica. She received a BA in Environmental Biology from Columbia University in 2016, where her thesis focused on predator-prey interactions between leopards and baboons. She completed her Master’s in Science Communication at Imperial College London, writing her dissertation on the portrayal of Indigenous knowledge in The Wild Thornberrys. In her free time, Leigh loves cooking, strong coffee, live music, and hiking with her dog Biscoe.
Sandeep Jandu
Sandeep is interested in delving into the ecological context of neurobiology. Rather fittingly, he’s joining the Riffell Lab to explore the integrative world of neuroecology. Originally from Baltimore, MD, Sandeep spent six years working in a lab that focused on translational cardiovascular research. Although shifting fields can be quite daunting, his move to research in neuroecology is reflective of his interest in neuroscience and love of the natural world. Outside of work, he likes hiking, cooking, and making guitars go “twang” and synthesizers go “beep boop.”
Jennifer Ortiz
Jennifer is originally from Des Moines, IA and recently completed her bachelor’s degree in biology at Iowa State University. During her time at ISU she worked in Dr. Jeanne Serb’s lab investigating opsin based phototransduction in flame clams. She is joining the Swalla lab to continue exploring her interest in marine invertebrates, morphological diversity, as well as evolutionary development. During Jennifer’s down time, she likes to read and pick up creative hobbies. She is excited to explore the PNW and make the most of being on the coast.
Grace Van Susteren
Grace is interested in sensory integration and animal behavior. She is joining the Riffell lab to study these topics in the mosquito using neurophysiological, behavioral, and computational methods. Originally from the mosquito-infested land of Minnesota, she is excited to get her revenge. Grace most recently studied at the University of Bonn, where she completed her MSc in Organismal Biology. Her thesis was centered on the neural coding of bulk water flow stimuli in the goldfish midbrain. Outside of the lab, she enjoys cooking and long-ish distance backpacking. She is excited to explore the nearby mountains!
Madeleine Strait
I am broadly interested in how mutualistic relationships change in response to anthropogenic disturbances. Specifically, I am interested in using a combination of fieldwork and molecular techniques to understand how plant-pollinator interactions will adapt to human-altered environments. I will be joining the Brosi lab and during my PhD I hope to integrate observational and experimental studies of plant-pollinator networks in order to predict how larger ecological networks might be shifting in response to climate change. I grew up in Oakland, CA and got a BA in Biology and Neuroscience from Wesleyan University. I’ve spent the past few years working in a research lab at Columbia University in NYC and am excited about being back on the West Coast!
Edú is joining the Santana Lab, he’s interested in museum-based research and keen to investigate the ecological and evolutionary implications of species dispersal abilities, so he’s planning to spend quite a time analyzing bat wings in the coming years. He’s from Vila Velha, a beautiful beachy city in Southeast Brazil. He’s been studying mammals since his undergrad years in the Mammalogy and Biogeography Lab and also spent a couple years living in Rio de Janeiro to get his Master’s degree in Ecology, investigating the effects of Atlantic Forest habitat loss on mammalian species. He likes to jog outdoors, listen to his favorite albums, have a nice conversation and be around the ones he loves. Always wondering what he’s doing to his life, while considering if he’d rather have a simple life farming vegetables. He’s really excited about the new adventures he’s going to be involved in these next few years living in Seattle.
Kirsten Meltesen
Kirsten is joining the Wilson Mantilla lab to study the macroecology and evolution of Cretaceous and Paleocene mammals. She’s interested in exploring how we can apply modern ecological methods to the fossil record in order to better understand patterns of biodiversity and species interactions within extinct mammalian communities. As an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota, she studied the latitudinal gradient in species richness for modern North American mammals. She loves to travel and has had the opportunity to do paleontological field work in Kenya, Utah, and Montana. One day, she hopes to complete field work on every continent!
Wesley Hull
I’ll be joining Jennifer Ruesink’s lab. I’m interested in examining interactions between ecosystem engineers – specifically how oysters, burrowing shrimp, and native eelgrass alter and manipulate aspects of each other’s behavior, fitness, and habitat. I’m from Northern California and moved to Washington in the spring of 2020. I got my bachelors and masters degree from Humboldt State University where I studied interactions between intertidal predators and the effects of elevated temperature on their feeding behaviors. I’m super excited to get to know everyone in the everyone department, and explore the area.
Erik Johansson
Erik is joining the Abrahms lab and the Center for Ecosystem Sentinels, where he will be researching behavioral variation in Magellanic Penguins. He’s interested in how behavioral diversity contributes to population-level dynamics across different environmental conditions. He graduated from Hamilton College in 2019 where he studied American Crow cognition and social behavior with Dr. Andrea Townsend, and enjoyed adventuring in the nearby Adirondack mountains. He spent the following year familiarizing himself with field work by studying coyotes in Utah, splendid fairywrens in South Australia, and guppies in Trinidad. Before joining the University of Washington, Erik was working for the Fresh Pond Research Institute in Cambridge, MA, organizing and analyzing data for projects on the evolution of dinosaur body size, the history of model building in ecology, and the use of empirical data to estimate survival and fertility patterns. He is excited to be starting a long-term project of his own and looking forward to exploring the mountains of the Pacific Northwest.
Chris Anderson
I will be joining the Brosi lab where I am interested in studying ecological networks and their function. I am especially interested in plant, insect, and fungal interactions and hope to research how the structure of the relationships between these organisms impact ecosystem evolution and stability. I am originally from rural western Colorado and received an undergraduate degree in evolutionary biology from Harvard University but I have been in Seattle for the last 7 years working at Rover.com. I’m excited for fall quarter to begin to meet everyone! Secretly, however, I’m more excited for the fall because it means that I can forage for mushrooms again!
Jacob Evarts
Jacob Evarts is interested in biological modeling and the unique, complex properties that emerge when many simple things work together. After receiving his B.S in Computer and Information Science studying prions at the University of Oregon, he opted to stay in the Pacific Northwest and continue research as a member of Neda Bagheri’s lab. Jacob was drawn to the UW by the systems-level thinking and collaboration taking place across the Biology Department. He is excited to engage with all that Seattle and the UW have to offer.
Kyra McClelland
My name is Kyra McClelland, and I’m originally from the east coast, but I’ve been living on the west coast since beginning my BS in marine biolgoy from University of California, Santa Cruz. After finishing, I moved to the PNW (Washington and British Columbia) for internship opportunities with the whales present throughout the Salish Sea. I then moved to southern California to pursue my MS in biology at California State University, Long Beach with Dr. Christine Whitcraft, where I studied the impacts of upland habitat access on rodent community distributions and diets in a fragmented tidal salt marsh. My interests are broad, ranging from behavioral and community ecology to human-wildlife conflict and habitat restoration. I will be rotating with Dr. Jennifer Ruesink and Dr. Sam Wasser this year. I’m looking forward to learning about new systems and gaining new skills. When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with my cats, being outside, travelling, and engaging in one of my many hobbies from crocheting to roller skating.
Benjamin Downing
Hi, my name is Ben Downing and I just finished up my undergrad studies in my home state of Nebraska, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Like any Nebraskan, I love watching Husker football even though its been getting pretty rough. Throughout undergrad, I worked in the Nebraska Center for Virology in a Plant Virology lab. I worked on CRISPR transformations to better understand plant-virus pathways, and I also used artificial micro RNA to induce viral immunity in plants. So as you might be able to tell I am passionate about Plant Microbiology, and specifically in better understanding how plants interact with biotic and abiotic forces. Outside of work, I like going to see live music, hitting up a record store, and a nice beer especially in any kind of outdoor setting
Janet Solano Sanchez
Hello! I am Janet Solano Sanchez (she/her), I am originally from San Diego, CA and did my undergraduate at UC Davis. I graduated as a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major with a Minor in Chicano/a Studies. After graduating in Spring 2020, I worked as a Lab Manager/Lab Tech for Dr. Philipp Zerbe at UC Davis for the past year. Before starting my PhD program, I spent my summer preparing for my move to Seattle and traveling a bit. I recently visited Austin, TX and it was such a great time! Now I am excited to start my journey here at UW!
Thanks for these great profiles!