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 |
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!! |
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. |
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 Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo . Alex also enjoys being outdoors, advocacy work, and a variety of crafting hobbies. |
Paige Au
NSERC USRA 2023 Before joining the Gotanda Lab, Paige volunteered with various conservation projects and organizations. She helped monitor turtle populations in central Ontario, assisted the Simcoe Raptor Research Group with winter raptor banding, and travelled to Namibia to volunteer at the TimBila Nature Reserve. Her research interests include population dynamics, ecology, evolution, and conservation biology. She is currently investigating prepartum behaviour and embryonic implantation in the Iberian lynx. |
Raahavi Ramathesun
Honours 2023-2024 Raahavi is in her final year of Biochemistry. She will be studying the sexual selection of Trinidadian guppies for her thesis. In her free time, Raahavi enjoys nature walks, trying new foods, and travelling with friends and family. She recently started a non profit organization for the Tamil youth within the GTA. |
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. |
Matthew Summerville
Match of Minds 2023 Matthew studied assortative mating in three-spine stickleback |
Taylor Kerr
Honours 2022-2023 Taylor studied the coordination of vigilance in sentinel and foraging American crows. |
Theresa Muraca
Honours 2022-2023 Theresa studied the effects of singular or variable diets on growth and boldness in juvenile Trinidadian guppies. |
Kristen Vlahiotis
NSERC USRA 2023 Kristen studied assortative mating in three-spine stickleback. |
Jordan Sheridan
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. |
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. |
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