Current Lab Members
Right now my lab is small! Back from sabbatical and working on building back up again.
Eliza Clark GDPE PhD student starting Fall 2017 will work with me, Ellyn Bitume and our colleagues on Tamarisk beetles. Welcome Eliza!
Stacy Endriss (stacy.endriss at gmail) GDPE PhD student with Andrew Norton and myself, working on the evolutionary and chemical ecology of Verbascum thapsus. Stacy's research was supported by the coveted NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant. Stacy is leaving shortly for a postdoc at Cornell University. I'm glad for her, and sad for us.
Eliza Clark GDPE PhD student starting Fall 2017 will work with me, Ellyn Bitume and our colleagues on Tamarisk beetles. Welcome Eliza!
Stacy Endriss (stacy.endriss at gmail) GDPE PhD student with Andrew Norton and myself, working on the evolutionary and chemical ecology of Verbascum thapsus. Stacy's research was supported by the coveted NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant. Stacy is leaving shortly for a postdoc at Cornell University. I'm glad for her, and sad for us.
Former Lab Members
Chrissy Alba (christina.alba at ibot.cas.cz), GDPE PhD 2010. Chrissy first did a postdoc with Petr Pysek in the Czech Republic, then with Luke Flory in Florida, and now is permanently based at the Denver Botanical Garden. Yay Chrissy!
Ellyn Bitume (ebitume at gmail) Postdoc (USDA NIFA) 2014-2016 Ellyn studied rapid evolution of beetles feeding on Tamarix. Currently at the USDA ARS in Albany CA, working on biological control of weeds. ALSO, co-PI with me on a USDA NIFA grant (May 2017-April 2020). Woot!! google scholar page
Amy Blair (blairamyc at sau.edu), GDPE PhD 2007. Amy studied the role of hybridization in biological invasions using invasive Centaurea (Asteraceae). Additionally, Amy worked on the potential for allelopathy in C. stoebe (aka C. maculosa, spotted knapweed). She started a postdoc in Bernd Blossey's lab May 2008, and then took a job at Saint Ambrose University in 2009. Congratulations on getting tenure!!
Christa Fettig (christafettig at gmail) GDPE PhD 2014 Christa studied black henbane ecology as well as Verbascum thapsus ecology and population genetics. She is currently teaching at the University of Colorado, Boulder. And now a new momma. Yippee!!
Rebecca Hufft Kao (becky.h.kao at gmail), PRIMES Postdoc 2008. Becky studied the evolutionary response of organisms to heterogeneous or changing environments with a focus on evolution of plants in novel environments and the evolution of species interactions. Becky worked with NEON, Inc. and is now managing conservation programs for the Denver Botanic Gardens.
Mike Koontz (mikoontz at gmail) GDPE MS 2015. Mike worked with the Tribolium system to tease apart the effects of propagule size and number of propagules in the invasion of a new habitat. CONGRATULATIONS to Mike on being awarded a competitive NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and on getting into UC Davis for grad school. Way to go!
Sabrina Kumschick, Postdoc 2010, Sabrina focused on the evolution of resource use in an invasive plant. She joined us from Wofgang Nentwig's lab in Switzerland, and is now working at the Center for Invasion Biology with Dave Richardson in South Africa.
Peter Leipzig-Scott (peteleipzig at gmail) did his MS 2015 Peter worked on population and community impacts of biological invasion, with a focus on Verbascum thapsus. Peter is now starting a PhD focused on science education, also in GDPE with Meena Balgopol.
Casandra Lloyd, Dept. of BSPM MS 2004 co-chaired by Dr. Andrew Norton and myself - leafy spurge/gall fly coevolution. Cassie went on to do a PhD at University of California, Riverside, and now is teaching high school science.
Megan Vahsen (mlvahsen at gmail) GDPE MS 2017 Megan worked on the role of timing and genetics in establishment of new populations, using Bromus tectorum as well as Tribolium castaneum. Megan started a PhD at Notre Dame Fall 2017.
Daniel MacKinnon, GDPE MS 2008. Dan studied the host use and population genetics of an inadvertently introduced biological control agent (Brachypterolus pulicarius on Linaria dalmatica and L. vulgaris). Dan is a Natural Resources Specialist for the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.
Robin Marrs, GDPE PhD 2006. Robin explored the population genetics of biological invasions, particularly Centaurea diffusa and C. stoebe using microsatellites. Robin is teaching gradeschool these days and loves it.
Steven Rauth, Dept. of BSPM PhD 2009. Steve worked on the population genetics of two prospective biological control agents of garlic mustard (Ceutorhynchus alliariae and C. roberti and C. scrobicolis). Steve is working with Monsanto in St. Louis.
Marianna Szucs (szucsmrianna at yahoo) Postdoc then research scientist (2010-2017), collaborating on the roles of demography and genetics in the founding of new populations, and a USDA AFRI project on the role of hybridization in host-plant interactions between a biological control agent and tansy ragwort. She is now a faculty member at Michigan State in Entomology focused on Biological Control January 2018. OMG I'm so proud.
Kathryn Turner @KTInvasion Postdoc (2015-2017) worked with me and John McKay on an NSF funded ancient (herbarium) DNA project. Just what are the genetic changes that accompany invasions? We'll soon know. Kathryn just started an Eberly College of Science Research Fellowship at the Pennsylvania State University November 2017.
Hannah Wilbur, GDPE MS 2013. Currently working with the Legacy Land Trust here in Fort Collins.
Ellyn Bitume (ebitume at gmail) Postdoc (USDA NIFA) 2014-2016 Ellyn studied rapid evolution of beetles feeding on Tamarix. Currently at the USDA ARS in Albany CA, working on biological control of weeds. ALSO, co-PI with me on a USDA NIFA grant (May 2017-April 2020). Woot!! google scholar page
Amy Blair (blairamyc at sau.edu), GDPE PhD 2007. Amy studied the role of hybridization in biological invasions using invasive Centaurea (Asteraceae). Additionally, Amy worked on the potential for allelopathy in C. stoebe (aka C. maculosa, spotted knapweed). She started a postdoc in Bernd Blossey's lab May 2008, and then took a job at Saint Ambrose University in 2009. Congratulations on getting tenure!!
Christa Fettig (christafettig at gmail) GDPE PhD 2014 Christa studied black henbane ecology as well as Verbascum thapsus ecology and population genetics. She is currently teaching at the University of Colorado, Boulder. And now a new momma. Yippee!!
Rebecca Hufft Kao (becky.h.kao at gmail), PRIMES Postdoc 2008. Becky studied the evolutionary response of organisms to heterogeneous or changing environments with a focus on evolution of plants in novel environments and the evolution of species interactions. Becky worked with NEON, Inc. and is now managing conservation programs for the Denver Botanic Gardens.
Mike Koontz (mikoontz at gmail) GDPE MS 2015. Mike worked with the Tribolium system to tease apart the effects of propagule size and number of propagules in the invasion of a new habitat. CONGRATULATIONS to Mike on being awarded a competitive NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and on getting into UC Davis for grad school. Way to go!
Sabrina Kumschick, Postdoc 2010, Sabrina focused on the evolution of resource use in an invasive plant. She joined us from Wofgang Nentwig's lab in Switzerland, and is now working at the Center for Invasion Biology with Dave Richardson in South Africa.
Peter Leipzig-Scott (peteleipzig at gmail) did his MS 2015 Peter worked on population and community impacts of biological invasion, with a focus on Verbascum thapsus. Peter is now starting a PhD focused on science education, also in GDPE with Meena Balgopol.
Casandra Lloyd, Dept. of BSPM MS 2004 co-chaired by Dr. Andrew Norton and myself - leafy spurge/gall fly coevolution. Cassie went on to do a PhD at University of California, Riverside, and now is teaching high school science.
Megan Vahsen (mlvahsen at gmail) GDPE MS 2017 Megan worked on the role of timing and genetics in establishment of new populations, using Bromus tectorum as well as Tribolium castaneum. Megan started a PhD at Notre Dame Fall 2017.
Daniel MacKinnon, GDPE MS 2008. Dan studied the host use and population genetics of an inadvertently introduced biological control agent (Brachypterolus pulicarius on Linaria dalmatica and L. vulgaris). Dan is a Natural Resources Specialist for the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.
Robin Marrs, GDPE PhD 2006. Robin explored the population genetics of biological invasions, particularly Centaurea diffusa and C. stoebe using microsatellites. Robin is teaching gradeschool these days and loves it.
Steven Rauth, Dept. of BSPM PhD 2009. Steve worked on the population genetics of two prospective biological control agents of garlic mustard (Ceutorhynchus alliariae and C. roberti and C. scrobicolis). Steve is working with Monsanto in St. Louis.
Marianna Szucs (szucsmrianna at yahoo) Postdoc then research scientist (2010-2017), collaborating on the roles of demography and genetics in the founding of new populations, and a USDA AFRI project on the role of hybridization in host-plant interactions between a biological control agent and tansy ragwort. She is now a faculty member at Michigan State in Entomology focused on Biological Control January 2018. OMG I'm so proud.
Kathryn Turner @KTInvasion Postdoc (2015-2017) worked with me and John McKay on an NSF funded ancient (herbarium) DNA project. Just what are the genetic changes that accompany invasions? We'll soon know. Kathryn just started an Eberly College of Science Research Fellowship at the Pennsylvania State University November 2017.
Hannah Wilbur, GDPE MS 2013. Currently working with the Legacy Land Trust here in Fort Collins.