Kiyoko Gotanda
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​Principal Investigator

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​Kiyoko Gotanda - click for more information

CV - Last updated January 2, 2023

Graduate Students

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Alexis Heckley
PhD 2020 - present

​Alexis received a B.Sc. in Animal Biology from the University of Alberta in 2017. Afterwards, she worked on a number of conservation projects, primarily with frogs and bats, and completed an internship and fellowship at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, investigating sleeping and exploration behaviour in Jamaican fruit bats. For her Ph.D., Alexis is investigating how parasitism and ancestry impact dispersal behaviour in stickleback fish. Outside of research, her favourite activities include travelling, scuba diving, and adventuring with her dog, Mr. Flea. Alexis is co-supervised by Andrew Hendry at McGill University. ​

Photo by Léa Blondel

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Alex Popescu
MSc ​2021-present

Alex completed his BSc in Biology at Concordia university and is currently working toward a MSc at Brock under the supervision of Dr. Kiyoko Gotanda. He aims to study the effects of urbanization on avian species, specifically crows. ​In his spare time, Alex enjoys watching movies and TV shows, cooking, and reading.

To learn more about Alex's project and help Alex find crows in the Niagara region, check out his website!!

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Alex Wilder
PhD 2022-present

Alex completed her BSc and MSc at the University of Windsor where she studied bio acoustics and conservation as well as climate change and domestication impacts on species behaviour and survival. Her doctoral research focuses on the impacts of human care on singling in temperate penguin species. She is currently working with the Toronto Zoo and the Aquarium of Niagara. Alex also enjoys being outdoors, advocacy work, and a variety of crafting hobbies.

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Albert Wu
PhD 2021-present

Albert completed his BSc in Biology at the University of Toronto, and his MSc in Biology at McMaster University, studying the effects of kin recognition on plant behavior, and invasive plant species. Albert is currently working on his PhD and aims to study the effects of domestication and feralization on domestication syndromes in Trinidadian guppies. His hobbies include reading, biking, picking up and trying a variety of new minor hobbies, and of course, sleeping.  

Undergraduate Students

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Taylor Kerr
Honours 2022-present
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Taylor is completing her BSc in the biological sciences along with a minor in psychology. She is mostly interested in animal behaviour and developmental and reproductive science. She is currently researching sentinel behaviour in crows, specifically how they communicate with foragers. In her spare time, she likes to hang out with her family (especially her dog Dakota) see her friends, paint, and watch the sunset.

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Theresa Muraca
Honours 2022-present

Theresa is completing her BSc in Biomedical Sciences and is interested in studying husbandry and correlating behaviour in aquatic species, specifically guppies. In her free time, she can be found baking, volunteering in animal care, and spending time with family and friends. 
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Jordan Sheridan
Library Research Essays 2022-present

​Jordan is completing her BSc in Biological Sciences with a minor in Classics. In her spare time, Jordan
is an avid volunteer with multiple human and animal health organizations. She enjoys time spent with animals and her pets, and time outdoors!

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Kristen Vlahiotis
Honours and Match of Minds 2022-present

She is interested in exploring the ecological effects human disturbances, such as urbanization, have on the adaptation of certain animal populations. In her spare time, she can be found hiking, mountain biking and bird-watching.

Alumni who are missed

Postdoctoral Fellows

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Lucas Gorné
2021-2022
​Postdoctoral Fellow
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Lucas helped curate PROCEED and contributed to the understanding of the ecological and evolutionary causes and consequences of variation in contemporary phenotypic rates of change. He is c
urrently a postdoctoral fellow at National University of Córdoba in Argentina. 

Undergraduates

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Victoria Everts
2022
​Undergraduate Library Research Essays
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Victoria did a library review looking at the correlation between pace of life and phenotypic traits.

Kristen Vlahiotis
Fall 2021
Co-op Student
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Kristen completed a co-op in the Gotanda lab focusing on a systematic review and lab coordination.  She is currently an honours student with the lab.

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David Lever
2019
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​David studied taste preferences in Darwin's Finches. He is currently a communications consultant.
Sam Armstrong
2018-2019
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​Sam studied how predation affected male guppy colour pattern in a laboratory setting. He is currently a veterinary doctor
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Hatty Darling
​2017-2018

​Hatty studied how predation affected male guppy colour pattern in a laboratory setting.​ She is currently an Associate Strategy Consultant at EY-Parthenon.
Alba Landra
2017-2018

​Alba studied functional reference in grunts in the common brown lemur vocal system. She is currently a designer for Albetta International, a sustainable children's clothing and toy brand and has set up her own toy brand on the online marketplace NOTHS.
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  • Research
  • Publications
  • Team
  • Join the lab!
  • Resources
  • Contact and Links
  • Systematic Reviews