Current Grad Students

PhD Biology

Alli is a doctoral student working with Dr. Jerry Johnson. Prior to BYU, Alli received her BS in biological sciences from North Carolina State University and her MS in entomology from Purdue University. Broadly, Alli is interested in animal behavior, chemical communication, and evolutionary ecology. Her research at BYU investigates how chemical signaling and reception in aquatic organisms diverge in response to predation.

PhD Biology

Brandon is a doctoral student from Ridgefield, WA, working in Dr. Perry Ridge's lab. He did his undergraduate work at BYU, studying bioinformatics with minors in computer science and business management. Brandon is interested in bioinformatics analysis and algorithm development. When not doing research, he enjoys spending time with his family and being in the outdoors, especially while mountaineering, kayaking, running, fishing, and hunting. Brandon hopes to graduate before the turn of the decade.
pickettbd@byu.edu | LinkedIn

PhD Biology

Danny is from Mapleton, Utah, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in biology from Utah Valley University. While at UVU he researched different factors that influenced a change in the acceptance of evolution among college students. Here at BYU he is a doctoral student working with Dr. Jamie Jensen and looking into ways to help students reconcile evolution with their own religious beliefs or world-views and factors that can affect evolutionary acceptance. When not studying, Danny enjoys reading books and spending time with his wife and kids. They love going on little hikes and looking for all kinds of wildlife, especially birds.

PhD Biology

Doreen is a doctoral student from southern California working in Dr. Blaine Griffen's lab. Before pursuing a PhD at BYU, she received a Bachelor of Science degree in organismal biology from California State University of Long Beach and a Master of Science degree in evolutionary and behavioral ecology from the University of Exeter. Doreen is using the cyclically dimorphic virile crayfish to understand the effects of individual variation on population dynamics and life-history evolution. Her work examines how personality shapes the relationship between energetics, metabolic activity, and growth in this unique crustacean. When she is not sitting in front of a computer or tending to the crayfish, you can catch Doreen at one of the local Latin dancing socials!

PhD Biology

Dustin is a doctoral student working with Dr. Stephen Piccolo. His interests are in the development and use of computational tools to analyze genomic data to learn more about human disease. He grew up in Springville, Utah, and attended Utah Valley University. As an undergraduate his research was focused on mayfly (Ephemeroptera) phylogenetics. When not doing research, he enjoys spending time with his wife and being in the outdoors.

MS Biology

Emily is a master's student in Dr. Roger Koide's lab studying the environmental pressures on and subsequent adaptations of endophytic fungi. Prior to graduate school, she received a BS in biology from BYU and worked a couple industry jobs before quitting and staying at home with her 2 kids for several years. Her interests include microevolution, climate change, endophytes, and botany. When Emily is not doing schoolwork or lab work, she is playing with her family, knitting, running, or doing all 3 at once.

MS Biology

Emily is a master's student working with Dr. Roger Koide. She grew up in Southern California and moved to Utah where she graduated with her Bachelor of Science in biology from BYU. The focus of her research is on the relationships of leaves from native Utah trees and their unique array of endophytic fungi. If there is spare time, she enjoys cooking and baking, critiquing movies with her husband, looking at plants with friends, and corresponding with her family.

PhD Biology

Gareth is a doctoral student working with Dr. Seth Bybee. He completed both his BS and MS degrees in entomology at Purdue University. Gareth's main interests are in Coleoptera Systematics, with a specific focus on the family Nitidulidae (Sap Beetles). With Dr. Bybee, he is investigating the evolution of vision across different feeding behaviors in Sap Beetles. The research utilizes behavioral observations in the field, morphological characters, and large molecular datasets. When not in the field collecting more beetles, he is probably at home curating any previous catch.

PhD Biology

Ifeanyi is a doctoral student from Amawbia, Nigeria, working with Dr. Stephen Piccolo. His research interests lie in the field of bioinformatics and systems biology. Having obtained both his bachelor’s and master’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Ibadan, he initially joined the Genetics Research Unit, IMRAT, UCH researching the genetics of breast cancer in blacks, before his passion for bioinformatics led him to join the CASS group at IITA analyzing transcriptome data in cassava. He spends his free time reading sci-fi novels, practicing taekwondo, or riding his sportsbike.

MS Biology

Jackson is a master’s student researching phylogenetics with Dr. Michael Whiting. He is particularly interested in phylogenetic theory and insect systematics. While he loves insects like hymenopterans (wasps) and lepidopterans (butterflies and moths), he is now working with the order Phasmatodea (walking sticks). His dream is to collect insects in every country in the world and unravel the stories their DNA tell - specifically which key evolutionary innovations lead to biodiversity. That understanding will help preserve unique life on earth. When he is not in the lab, you can find him on the volleyball court or in the kitchen pursuing his lifelong goal of baking the perfect macaron.
jackson.linde1859@gmail.com

PhD Biology

Jesse is a doctoral student from the Netherlands working in Dr. Byron Adams’ lab. He has completed both his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in ecology & evolution from the University of Groningen. During his MSc he specialized in studying varying aspects of changing ecosystems in the Arctic, culminating in a master’s thesis based on fieldwork conducted in the High Arctic Archipelago of Svalbard. His doctoral research will relate to the Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valleys where he aims to investigate the community assembly in habitats opened up by environmental changes, and to predict how the soil ecosystem will respond to potential invasive species. He also likes to play advocate for the Dutch way of life, which includes riding your bicycle everywhere and consuming good cheese.

PhD Biology

Tina is a doctoral student from Samoa/Hawaii working with Dr. John Kauwe. She is studying the genetics of Alzheimer’s disease and rheumatic heart disease.

MS Biology

Natalie is a master’s student from central Oregon working with Dr. Seth Bybee. She completed her undergraduate at Brigham Young University, majoring in biology with a minor in environmental science. Natalie is interested in the evolutionary history and systematics of insects, as well as uncovering mechanisms of speciation in diverse lineages. Her current work focuses on describing the diversity of coenagrionid damselflies in the South Pacific while gaining a better understanding of their dispersal and biogeography in the region.
natalie.a.saxton@byu.edu

MS Biology

Peter is a master’s student working with Dr. Mark Belk. As an undergraduate at BYU, he studied the causes of bimodal growth of lake trout in Fish Lake, Utah, using stable isotopes. His current research is on the larval development of Utah and June suckers. In his spare time, he enjoys guiding for BYU’s fly fishing class or geocaching with this wife.
petersearle94@gmail.com | Research Gate

PhD Biology

Rachel is a doctoral student working with Dr. Steve Leavitt. She did her undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and she's come to BYU to research lichens and convince others to join the lichen fan club. In her free time, she takes very slow hikes to take pictures of lichens, slime molds, and mushrooms, then posts them on her blog Microcosmia to educate and inspire others.

PhD Biology

Beka is a master's student working with Dr. Liz Bailey and Dr. Rick Gill to develop a curriculum to teach about climate change in the Pacific, specifically in Samoa. She did her undergraduate work at BYU-Hawaii and graduated in 2017 with a degree in biology and a minor in biochemistry. She is interested in conservation education and would love to teach people how to care more about the earth and be stewards of the land. Beka grew up in Bozeman, Montana, and calls both Montana and Hawaii home. She loves exploring the outdoors, downhill skiing, mountain biking, and spending time with her husband and family.
rebeka.frome@gmail.com

MS Biological Science Education

Sammy is a master's student working in Dr. Liz Bailey's lab and is interested in college-level biology pedagogy. She hopes to find ways to give math instruction in biology in intuitive ways. She received her bachelor's degree in microbiology at BYU and just couldn't bring herself to leave. Sammy grew up in Michigan and Texas, and in her free time she loves reading, playing games with friends, and cuddling her cats.

PhD Biology

Scott is a doctoral student working with Dr. Byron Adams. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in biology in 2010 from Brigham Young University and conducted research full-time for several years at CR Foundation with Dr. Gordon Christensen. At this lab he participated in numerous studies, publications in CR Foundation Reports, third-party reviews, R&D consultations, and was lead author and investigator on a proposal securing over $150,000 in external support. Scott’s current research is focused on community ecology and population genetics using Bayesian phylogenetics and GIS data to test his hypothesis of comparative phylogeography of nematodes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica. He is also very interested in using environmental niche modeling to make conservative predictions about the past, present, and future species' presence and abundance in the Dry Valleys. In his spare time Scott enjoys being with his family and friends, especially in the outdoors. He and his wife enjoy working on their goal of visiting every U.S. National Park.

PhD Biology

Tavailau Stau Segi is a doctoral student from Samoa. He is working with Dr. Richard Gill studying the effect of climate change on the inner and fringing reef of Samoa. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in marine biology from BYU-Hawaii. In his spare time he loves to play sports: rugby, volleyball, basketball, soccer, etc., but he doesn't like hiking!

PhD Biology

Trevor is a doctoral student working with Dr. Jerry Johnson. His interests are focused on the evolutionary and ecological processes that generate diversity as well as conserving that diversity, especially in aquatic habitats. Trevor graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in zoology with an environmental science co-major from Miami University. While there, he conducted research on aquatic amphipods in desert springs of New Mexico and Texas using phylogenetic approaches to uncover cryptic species. His project at BYU aims at uncovering the spatial and temporal phenomena that have shaped diversity in Great Basin aquatic organisms. He hopes to incorporate tools of phylogeography and community ecology to understand not only how changes in geography have altered desert organisms, but also how community structure and assembly have affected the genetic, morphological, and behavioral aspects of desert aquatic species. The information from this project will help with the conservation efforts and management of desert water.

PhD Biology

Veronica is a doctoral student from Lima, Peru, working with Dr. Clinton Whipple. She is studying Gilia and is seeking to uncover its morphological evolution. Her undergraduate major was in sciences-agronomy and her master’s degree was in plant breeding. Veronica has been researching how to enhance native potato varieties for higher content of anthocyanins and has been mapping sweet potato populations. She enjoys learning, traveling, singing, dancing, spending time in nature, and being with her 2 sons.
roni_atenea@yahoo.com | LinkedIn | Research Gate | Twitter