Extinct Lab Members
Ryan Hillary
Undergraduate Student
As a bioinformatician he knew very little about arthropods and odonates, but truly enjoy applying his skills to help pursue unique and groundbreaking studies within the lab. The skills he acquired in this lab has caught the eyes of job recruiters and have opened the doors to many opportunities which would have otherwise been closed to him.
As a bioinformatician he knew very little about arthropods and odonates, but truly enjoy applying his skills to help pursue unique and groundbreaking studies within the lab. The skills he acquired in this lab has caught the eyes of job recruiters and have opened the doors to many opportunities which would have otherwise been closed to him.
Riley Cox
Undergraduate Student
Riley has always loved other creatures, be it hippopotamuses, turkeys, or dragonflies. Reading all the nonfiction books about animal life and biodiversity as an elementary student landed him as a biology major in college. He especially enjoys working in the field and getting to travel to new locations collecting. He was also involved in conducting research on possible speciation in populations of the New Zealand damselfly Xanthocnemis zealandica, and evolutionary history of Odonata of the South Pacific.
Riley has always loved other creatures, be it hippopotamuses, turkeys, or dragonflies. Reading all the nonfiction books about animal life and biodiversity as an elementary student landed him as a biology major in college. He especially enjoys working in the field and getting to travel to new locations collecting. He was also involved in conducting research on possible speciation in populations of the New Zealand damselfly Xanthocnemis zealandica, and evolutionary history of Odonata of the South Pacific.
Preston Arnold
Undergraduate Student
Preston completed a Bachleors Degree in Biochemistry with minors in Business Management and Music. In April of 2012, he began volunteering in Dr. Bybee's lab where he perform PCRs and other basic lab procedures to help generate data for phylogenetic analysis. In addition to his work with the lab, he was also involved with the Honor's Program on campus and maintain a 3.89 GPA after five completed semesters. He graduated in April of 2016.
Preston completed a Bachleors Degree in Biochemistry with minors in Business Management and Music. In April of 2012, he began volunteering in Dr. Bybee's lab where he perform PCRs and other basic lab procedures to help generate data for phylogenetic analysis. In addition to his work with the lab, he was also involved with the Honor's Program on campus and maintain a 3.89 GPA after five completed semesters. He graduated in April of 2016.
Haley Cahill Wightman
Graduate Student
Haley began graduate work focused on the placement of fossil taxa in phylogenetic trees, and the evolution of female polychromatism in Odonata. she joined the Bybee lab after studying Mantodea systematics with Gavin Svenson at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and working in the non-profit project management field.
Haley began graduate work focused on the placement of fossil taxa in phylogenetic trees, and the evolution of female polychromatism in Odonata. she joined the Bybee lab after studying Mantodea systematics with Gavin Svenson at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and working in the non-profit project management field.
Yelena Pacheco
MS Student
Yelena was a master’s student in the Whiting lab. Yelena’s primary research focuses on using phylogenetic methods to answer evolutionary questions within the insect order Phasmatodea (stick insects). This includes deciphering patterns of ecomorph evolution in the stick insects of Papua New Guinea. As an honorary and past member of the Bybee lab, Yelena has worked within the systems Ododnata and Lampyridae during both her undergraduate and graduate education.
Yelena was a master’s student in the Whiting lab. Yelena’s primary research focuses on using phylogenetic methods to answer evolutionary questions within the insect order Phasmatodea (stick insects). This includes deciphering patterns of ecomorph evolution in the stick insects of Papua New Guinea. As an honorary and past member of the Bybee lab, Yelena has worked within the systems Ododnata and Lampyridae during both her undergraduate and graduate education.
Anton Suvorov
PhD Graduate Student
Anton graduated from Moscow State University (Russia) with a M.S. degree in entomology in 2009 and then attended the University of Cambridge (UK) to study the genetics of bacterial symbiosis within insects in the Jiggins Lab. In 2011, he joined the Institute of Population Genetics in Vienna where he studied intraspecific cis-trans regulatory variation of gene expression in Drosophila pseudoobscura with Christian Schlötterer and Andreas Futschik.
Anton has long been interested in insect genetics, evolution, bioinformatics and probabilistic approaches in biology, especially Bayesian inference and machine learning algorithms. As a Ph.D. student he investigated phylogenomics and the evolution of visual systems in Odonata using NGS data.
Anton graduated from Moscow State University (Russia) with a M.S. degree in entomology in 2009 and then attended the University of Cambridge (UK) to study the genetics of bacterial symbiosis within insects in the Jiggins Lab. In 2011, he joined the Institute of Population Genetics in Vienna where he studied intraspecific cis-trans regulatory variation of gene expression in Drosophila pseudoobscura with Christian Schlötterer and Andreas Futschik.
Anton has long been interested in insect genetics, evolution, bioinformatics and probabilistic approaches in biology, especially Bayesian inference and machine learning algorithms. As a Ph.D. student he investigated phylogenomics and the evolution of visual systems in Odonata using NGS data.
Camilla Sharkey
Postdoctoral Fellows
Camilla R Sharkey currently works at the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge. Camilla does research in Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Entomology.
Camilla R Sharkey currently works at the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge. Camilla does research in Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Entomology.
Nathan Lord
Postdoctoral Fellows
Nathan is an insect systematist specializing in the order Coleoptera. He is broadly interested in alpha- and beta- level taxonomy, reconstructing phylogenies utilizing both morphological and molecular data, exploring interesting evolutionary scenarios within Coleoptera, and enhancing systematics products through interactive, digital tools (e.g. Lucid keys) and high-resolution imaging.
My research program centers around investigating the evolution of visual systems across the charismatic Jewel Beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) in an effort to decipher the form and function of the often brilliant color schemes found throughout the group. We are using NGS methods to construct phylogenies and generate transcriptomes of tissues involved in vision in order to investigate opsin diversity, with future avenues branching into physiology (ERG, in-situ hybridization). Additionally, we have received funding to develop an interactive tool for the identification of the worldwide genera of Jewel Beetles.
He joined Dr. Bybee’s lab in August, 2013.
Nathan is an insect systematist specializing in the order Coleoptera. He is broadly interested in alpha- and beta- level taxonomy, reconstructing phylogenies utilizing both morphological and molecular data, exploring interesting evolutionary scenarios within Coleoptera, and enhancing systematics products through interactive, digital tools (e.g. Lucid keys) and high-resolution imaging.
My research program centers around investigating the evolution of visual systems across the charismatic Jewel Beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) in an effort to decipher the form and function of the often brilliant color schemes found throughout the group. We are using NGS methods to construct phylogenies and generate transcriptomes of tissues involved in vision in order to investigate opsin diversity, with future avenues branching into physiology (ERG, in-situ hybridization). Additionally, we have received funding to develop an interactive tool for the identification of the worldwide genera of Jewel Beetles.
He joined Dr. Bybee’s lab in August, 2013.
Sebastian Büsse
Postdoctoral Fellows
- Biomechanics and material composition of insect mouthparts - focusing on dragonflies (Odonata)
- Biomechanics of predatory strikes in selected arthropods
- Attachment system of selected insects - focusing on parasite-host adaptations
- Comparative morphology, phylogenetic and evolutionary implications of the thorax musculature in Odonata and other Insects
- Functional morphology of the spinning apparatus of webspinner (Embiotera)
- Biogeography (phylogeography) of Epiophlebia (Epiprocta: Odonata)