Principal Investigator
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Graduate Students
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Noah Rhoden
MSc 2025-present Noah received his BSc In Biology with a minor in Zoology from the University of Guelph in 2024. He then worked as a research assistant at UofG where he studied the morphological responses of wildflowers to decreased pollinator populations. His research focuses on the ways in which anthropogenic environmental change affects the morphology, physiology and fitness of native amphibians. Noah also enjoys playing sports, watching movies and wildlife photography. |
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Michelle Ross
PhD 2024-present Michelle completed her BA in Wildlife Biology at Hastings College and her MSc in Integrative Biology at Kennesaw State University. Her research focuses on anthropogenic effects and she hopes her research can be used to help animal conservation efforts. Currently, Michelle’s doctoral research focuses on the effects of nascent urbanization on behaviors and physiology in Darwin’s finches. When not heckling birds for research, Michelle enjoys drawing, geeking out about animation, and getting lost in the woods. |
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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 signaling in temperate penguin species. She is currently working with the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo. Alex also enjoys being outdoors, advocacy work, and a variety of crafting hobbies. |
Research Associates
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Paige Au
Research Associate 2024-2025 Paige is currently studying the effects of habitat fragmentation and climate change on the global distribution of the Sunda clouded leopard. Before joining the Gotanda Lab, Paige volunteered with various conservation projects and organizations. She has also conducted research on Iberian lynx prepartum behaviours, Massasauga rattlesnake phenotypes, and bobcat spatial ecology. Her research interests include population dynamics, ecology, evolution, and conservation biology. |
Alumni who are missed
Postdoctoral Fellows
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Lucas Gorné
2021-2022 Postdoctoral Fellow 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 currently a Investigador Asistente (Assistant Researcher) at the Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBiV), CONICET - UNC, FCEFyN - Universidad Nacional Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina. |
PhD
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Alexis Heckley
PhD 2020 - 2025 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 investigated the predicatbility of intraspecific variation in Trinidadian guppies and three spine stickleback. Outside of research, her favourite activities include travelling, scuba diving, and adventuring with her dog, Mr. Flea. Alexis was co-supervised by Andrew Hendry at McGill University. She is currently an NSERC postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Dan Becker at Oklahoma University. Photo by Léa Blondel |
MSc
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Alex Popescu
MSc 2021-2024 Alex completed his BSc in Biology at Concordia university and his MSc at Brock under the supervision of Dr. Kiyoko Gotanda. He studied 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!! |
Undergraduates
Paige Au
NSERC USRA 2025 Paige studied the effects of habitat fragmentation and climate change on the global distribution of the Sunda clouded leopard. She is currently a research associate |
Paige Au
Honours 2024-2025 Paige studied habitat use by bobcats in New York state. She is currently a research associate. |
Andrea Fernandes
Honours 2024-2025 Andrea studied the horizontal transmission of modified Negevirus via oral ingestion of spiked sugar meal. |
Dawid Wrobel
Honours 2024-2025 Dawid studied the effects of predator re-introduction on male guppy colour patterns. |
Paige Au
Match of Minds 2024 Paige, in collaboration with 8Trees, studied mottle patterns in the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake. She is currently a research associate |
Raahavi Ramathesun
Honours 2023-2024 Raahavi studied how predation affected male guppy colour pattern in a laboratory setting. |
Matthew Summerville
Match of Minds 2023 Matthew studied assortative mating in three-spine stickleback. He is currently doing his MSc at Brock University |
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Taylor Kerr
Honours 2022-2023 Taylor studied the coordination of vigilance in sentinel and foraging American crows. She is currently doing graduate studies at Brock University. |
Theresa Muraca
Honours 2022-2023 Theresa studied the effects of singular or variable diets on growth and boldness in juvenile Trinidadian guppies. She is currently attending vet school at Guelph University. |
Paige Au
NSERC USRA 2023 Paige studied pre embryonic implantation behaviours in Iberian lynx. She is currently an NSERC USRA. |
Kristen Vlahiotis
NSERC USRA 2023 Kristen studied assortative mating in three-spine stickleback. She is currently doing her MSc at Carleton University. |
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Jordan Sheridan
Undergraduate Library Research Essays 2022-2023 Jordan did two library reviews looking at the effects of human poaching on elephant social relationships and the role of the gut microbiome on aging and cognition in domesticated dogs. |
Kristen Vlahiotis
Honours and Match of Minds 2022-2023 Kristen studied how black-capped chickadee distribution has shifted through time in relation to urbanization and continued on her systematic review looking at conservation translocations and hybridization. She is currently doing her MSc at Carleton University. |
Victoria Everts
2022 Undergraduate Library Research Essays Victoria did a library review looking at the correlation between pace of life and phenotypic traits. |
Kristen Vlahiotis
Fall 2021 Co-op Student Kristen completed a co-op in the Gotanda lab focusing on a systematic review and lab coordination. She is currently doing her MSc at Carleton University. |
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