Post-doctoral associates

Dr. Brittany Coppinger worked in the lab from Jan 2021 through Aug 2024 as a Mendel Science Experience (MSE) Postdoctoral Fellow. Brittany brought extensive experience studying chickadee and titmouse communication and social ecology. Dr. Coppinger’s MSE position focused on co-teaching our offering for non-science majors about genealogy; she also taught courses in animal behavior, behavioral ecology, and tropical natural history, and she joined RLC in mentoring research students. She is now a Postdoctoral Research at Michigan State University. Coppinger web site || BAC profile on ResearchGate

Dovid Kozlovsky participated in the lab from Aug 2019 through Dec 2020 as a Mendel Science Experience (MSE) Postdoctoral Fellow. Dr. Kozlovsky’s MSE position focused on co-teaching our new offering for non-science majors about family trees; he also taught courses in behavioral ecology and tropical natural history, and he joined RLC in mentoring research students. Dovid began work as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Biology in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology (EEOB) at Kennesaw State University in Jan 2021. DYK profile on ResearchGate

Matt Miller while a Post-doctoral Fellow at Villanova (2014 – 2016) continued his own work on Neotropical birds and disease ecology while also taking the lead on a new phylogenetic study of Ramphocinclus thrashers. Matt is now a researcher with Reneco International Wildlife Consultants LLC, Abu Dhabi

Valentina Ferretti (2011 – 2013) participated in our Pennsylvania chickadee field studies and helped establish our collaboration with the Lovette Lab, resulting in coauthorship of two 2014 papers on chickadee genomics in relation to hybridization. She is now a faculty member in the Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolution, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina

Jameson (Jim) Chace (2001 – 2005) was associated with the lab while holding postdoctoral and visiting assistant professor positions. He is now a Professor at Salve Regina University

Masters students

Claire Jones (MS ’24) investigated the calls that Carolina Chickadees give when arriving at “smart” feeders where seeds are either available or suddenly unavailable

Margaret Boyle (MS ’22) joined the lab in January 2019. She is examining social network relationships and interactions between Tufted Titmice and both Black-capped and Carolina chickadees and their hybrids. @MargaretNBoyle

Holly Garrod (MS ’22) studied the behavioral ecology and possible hybridization of Narrow-billed and Broad-billed todies in the Dominican Republic in 2016 – 2019. She now works at the University of Montana. @hmg_ornithology

Rebecca Garlinger studied dominance relationships and social networks in the mixed chickadee population at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. Becca currently works as a Wildlife Specialist at White Oak, a wildlife conservation organization in Florida. @BecAndTheBrain

Michael Rowley (MS ’21) examined social network stability in chickadees. After completing his degree, Michael was a Trainee at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. He is now a research technician at East Stroudsburg University

Taylor Heuermann (LAS ’19, MS ’20) focused on the influence of “personality genes” on boldness and exploratory behavior in chickadees while completing VU’s 5-year combined BS-MS program. @tmheuermann

Ari Rice (MS ’20) studied haemosporidian parasites in hybridizing chickadees, and in irruptive vs. resident chickadees. Ari is now a PhD student at Texas Tech University. @AriBirdman

Breanna Bennett (LAS ’17) studied exploratory behavior as a component of personality in the mixed chickadee population at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary for her undergraduate Senior Thesis. She then focused on cognitive ecology (problem-solving abilities) in hybrid and ‘pure’ chickadees for M.S. work She is now a PhD student at Princeton University. @TheTinyBirdGirl

Sarah Polekoff (MS ’18) investigated exploratory behavior as a component of personality in Black-capped, Carolina, and hybrid chickadees. Sarah is now a PhD student at Arizona State University. @sapolekoff

Mark Eastburn (MS ’17) studied the behavioral ecology of the ant-acacia jumping spider, Bagheera kiplingi, including comparison with other jumping spiders. Mark teaches science in Princeton, NJ, public schools. @markeastburnpps

Robert Driver (MS ’17) studied genetic correlates of reduced hatching success and nestling sex ratio (testing for Haldane’s Rule) in hybridizing chickadees. Robert received his PhD from East Carolina University in 2022 and is now a NSF Postdoctoral Fellow at Duke University. @rdriver215

Chris Roche (MS ’16) focused on on winter residence patterns in resident and irruption visitor chickadees at Nolde Forest using RFID methods. Chris works for an environmental consulting company.

Kate Freeman (MS ’15) studied the role of helpers in anti-predator nest defense and reproductive success in St. Lucia White-breasted Thrashers. She is now an Assistant Stewardship Project Manager for the Sonoma Land Trust.

Christie Eldredge (MS ’15) investigated parental attentiveness during the nestling period, as a component of personality, in Carolina Chickadees using RFID methods.

Jacob Armiger (MS ’14) conducted a field study of cooperative breeding and reproductive ecology in the Yucatan Wren. Jacob now works for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

Evan Kelemen (MS ’14) carried out field experiments to examine the functional importance of song repertoires, and the possible role of singing behavior in personality, in Carolina Chickadees. He earned his PhD from the University of Arizona and is now a Postdoc.

Sarah Baillie (MS ’14) investigated anti-predator behavior as a component of personality in Carolina Chickadees, and correlates with genetic parentage. Sarah currently works for the Center for Biological Diversity.

Josh LaPergola (’12) studied social behavior and mating system of the Black Catbird on Cozumel and mainland Yucatan. Josh received his PhD, studying Hispaniolan Woodpeckers, from Cornell University; he is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University.

Erik Scully (LAS ’11, MS ’12) studied nesting ecology and social behavior in Bagheera kiplingi. He is 2018 PhD recipient, studying chimpanzee biology, in the Behavioral Ecology Research Group at Harvard University

Stephanie Wright (MS ’10) studied the function of different song types in the chickadee hybrid zone using playback experiments, and changes in vocal patterns over time. Stephanie completed her PhD at The Ohio State University, and she currently teaches at the Columbus School for Girls

Jessica Trout-Haney (MS ’10) studied the genetic mating system of the Boreal Chickadee in southwestern Nova Scotia. Jess received her PhD from Dartmouth College and remains there as a Postdoctoral Researcher in Environmental Studies

Jennifer Mortensen (MS ’09) studied the conservation ecology of the endangered White-breasted Thrasher. She received her PhD from Tufts University and is now a Teaching Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas

Christopher Meehan (LAS ’08, MS ’09) co-discovered the world’s first known herbivorous spider, Bagheera kiplingi, and studied the species for his MS thesis

Amanda Nicodemus (MS ’09) examined relationships between dominance, mate choice, and genetic identity among chickadees at the trailing edge of the hybrid zone, at Nolde Forest. She now works as a wildlife biologist in western US

Samantha Slattery (MS ’08) examined relationships between song repertoires, male genetic identity, and reproductive success in the chickadee hybrid zone. Sam recently earned her M.D.

Lindsay Zemba (MS ’07) examined relationships between dominance, mate choice, and genetic identity at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. She now works as a personal trainer, and she is both a mom and a professional Ironwoman triathlete

Luke Pilipski (MS ’06) conducted independent work, focusing the diet of the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus). He is now a lab technician for a biotechnology company in Pennsylvania

Sue Guers (MS ’06) focused on the effects of forest fragmentation on reproductive success of Black-capped Chickadees and hybrids at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. Sue worked for several years as a professional wildlife biologist in Alaska before returning to do similar work in Pennsylvania

Matt Reudink (MS ’04) studied microsatellite DNA as a marker for parentage analysis and genotyping of birds within the Pennsylvania contact zone, and patterns of extra-pair mating in relation to genetic identity of males and female. Matt is now a Professor at Thompson Rivers University, British Columbia

Chris Valligny (MS ’04) investigated the effects of an extraordinary winter fire on foraging and territorial behavior of Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens). He is now a Senior Scientist at Montrose Environmental, West Chester, PA.

Lindsay Rossano (MS ’03) focused on vocalizations, and especially on variability in repertoire composition (including both whistled songs and ‘chick-a-dee’ calls) at the individual level, within the hybrid zone. She now works as a mom and an environmental consultant

Kerri Cornell (MS ’02) focused on decreased hatching success in chickadees resulting from hybridization, and on parentage patterns. She is now a tenured Associate Professor at Westminster College

Sean Mullen (MS ’01) studied genetics and morphology of hybridizing Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapilla) and Carolina Chickadees (P. carolinensis) in southeastern Pennsylvania. He is now a Professor at Boston University

Ilonka Von Lippke (MS ’01) assessed the roles of dominance and within-group conflict on reproductive success in the complex cooperative breeding system of Española Mockingbirds (Mimus macdonaldi) in the Galápagos. She subsequently received her PhD from UCLA

Liz Borst (MS ’98) studied social and demographic factors affecting laying date and clutch size in Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens)

Joel Greshock (MS ’98) investigated habitat use by northern water snakes (Nerodia sipedon sipedon) in southeastern Pennsylvania. He is is currently Director of Information Systems at GlaxoSmithKline PLC in the UK

Lee Walton (MS ’97) focused on nest site selection in Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens). Lee is now Senior Ecologist/Principal at Flatwoods Consulting Group, Tampa, Florida.

Juan E. Martínez-Gómez (MS ’95) completed the first detailed population study of the critically endangered Socorro Mockingbird (Mimodes graysoni), a mimid endemic to a single island (Socorro) in the Revillagigedo Archipelago, Mexico. Juan is now at Investigator Titular at INECOL

Undergraduate thesis students

Undergraduate research students

Kiki Edmark (LAS ’24) investigated complexity of chick-a-dee calls in Black-capped and Carolina chickadees and their hybrids

Sabrina Salartash (LAS ’23) investigated acoustic details of dee notes within chick-a-dee calls in Black-capped and Carolina chickadees and their hybrids

Frank Raucher (LAS ’23) investigated the ancestry and behavioral response to song playbacks of resident chickadees at Nolde Forest, a site now at the trailing edge of the northward-moving hybrid zone

Carlos Garriga (LAS ’23) studied fertilization status of unhatched eggs in the chickadee hybrid zone. He is now a Medical School student in his native Puerto Rico.

Lily Day (LAS ’22) completed her Honors thesis on responses to conspecific and heterospecific song playback by male hybrid-zone chickadees. @day_lily22

Zara Zimmer (LAS ’22) carried out a follow-up study of variation in achromatic plumage brightness in relation to ancestry of hybrid-zone chickadees

Ariana Abbrescia (LAS ’21) further examined dawn chorus song in relation to chickadee ancestry at Hawk Mountain

Haley Randall (LAS ’20) investigated local and regional patterns of interannual variation in chickadee abundance

Caraline Gammons (LAS ’20) studied variation in plumage brightness in relation to individual genotype across the chickadee hybrid zone

Emily Burton (LAS ’18) carried out thesis work on population genetics of hybridizing chickadees. @eburton9821

Matt Dula (LAS ’18) completed Senior Thesis research on social networks in Carolina Chickadees @MattDula1

Katherine Monroe (LAS ’18) conducted Senior Thesis research on song in relation to male genotypes in hybrid-zone chickadee populations. @katmon19

Kate Henderson (LAS ’18), as an Environmental Science major and Biology minor, conducted Senior Thesis research on niche modeling in Hispaniolan todies. @Kate_Marina27

Gwen Saccocia (LAS ’20) participated in the lab in S17 as a CURF Freshman Match student

John Szot (Biology ’15) studied responses to song playbacks by male chickadees in our primary hybrid-zone study population

Brianna Mattio (Biology ’15) investigated behavioral relationships between Bagheera kiplingi and Pseudomyrmex ants

Laura Ceccacci (Biology ’15) examinined relationships between male parental care and parentage patterns in Carolina Chickadees

Ashveen Bains (Biology ’14) carryied out a study of changes in genetic structure over time across our hybrid-zone chickadee populations

Amanda McKenna (Biology ’13) carried out a study of plumage brightness of chickadees within our hybrid-zone study populations

Karen Zusi (Biology & Honors ’11) investigated song repertoires in Carolina Chickadees

Andy McGann (Biology ’07) examined social dominance and flock structure in Carolina Chickadees

Nick Weber (Comprehensive Science & Honors ’05) explored improved microsatellite markers for distinguishing between Black-capped and Carolina chickadees

Steve VanPelt (Biology & Honors ’05) followed up on Kerri Cornell’s previous study of Haldane’s Rule in hybridizing chickadees

Alice Ruscica (Biology ’04) used microsatellite DNA to further investigate parentage patterns in Carolina Chickadees at Great Marsh, focusing particularly on variation among years in the frequency of extra-pair offspring (EPO)

Christina Yuan (Biology & Honors ’03) used microsatellite DNA to investigate parentage patterns in Carolina Chickadees at Great Marsh. She is now an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Ryan Zitnay (Biology ’03) used mtDNA and microsatellite DNA to investigate introgression of Carolina Chickadee genes into the Black-capped Chickadee population at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary

Mina Innes (Biology & Honors ’02) used GIS to map habitats in our chickadee hybrid zone study followed by analysis of nest-site selection as a function of variation in habitat types

Leanna Massarelli (Biology ’01) contributed to the Pennsylvania part of the Black-capped / Carolina Chickadee project by focusing on the match, or lack thereof, between each male’s genotype and the type of song that he sings

Matt Rea (Biology ’00) used GIS and remote sensing data to investigate the degree to which the surviving Socorro Mockingbirds are limited by habitat availability

Cheryl Zecchine (Honors ’99) focused on genetic methods for sexing Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) and Carolina Chickadees (P. carolinensis) in southeastern Pennsylvania

Melanie Jenter (Biology ’99) investigated genetic methods for sexing Florida Scrub-Jays

Kevin Klesh (Honors Program ’98) Reauthorization of the Endangered Species Act

Chadd Criddle (BSC ’98): Territory occupancy of Black-capped and Boreal Chickadees in southwestern Nova Scotia

Jill Wotanis (Biology ’98): Geography of the contact zone between Black-capped and Carolina Chickadees in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Terry Leland (Honors ’96): Historical patterns of confier invasion of serpentine barrens in Maryland: analysis using GIS

Cathy Ciarimboli (Biology ’96): Invasion of serpentine barrens by pitch pine at Nottingham County Park, Pennsylvania

Connie Gasda (Biology ’94): Brood division by Northern Mockingbirds

Michele Hannon (Biology ’92): Effects of fire suppression on Florida Scrub-Jays: food availability and habitat structure in long-unburned habitat

Bryan Spohn (Honors ’92): Abiotic edge effects on foraging behavior of woodland birds in Pennsylvania. He is now a Professor at the Florida State College at Jacksonville