Ecology and Evolutionary Biology https://eeb.tamu.edu Doctoral Program Fri, 09 Oct 2026 19:46:33 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.4 https://eeb.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/46_tamlogobox-150x150.png Ecology and Evolutionary Biology https://eeb.tamu.edu 32 32 EEB PhD Collaborators Awarded Major Fellowships https://eeb.tamu.edu/2026/10/09/small-vert-collaborators-win-big/ Fri, 09 Oct 2026 19:37:23 +0000 https://eeb.tamu.edu/?p=19535

Oluwaseun Ajileye, a PhD Candidate advised by Dr. Jessica Light, was named a 2026-2027 Mobil Aggies Future Faculty Fellow (F3). His research examines the distribution and co-infection of filarial nematodes and tick-borne pathogens in North American ticks and their vertebrate hosts, integrating molecular epidemiology, vector biology, and disease ecology.

Maria “Aleja” Hurtado-Materon, a PhD Candidate advised by Dr. Michelle Lawing, received the 2026 U.S. Senator Phil Gramm Doctoral Fellowship Award. Her research examines how species respond to environmental change and how ecological and evolutionary knowledge can be translated into more effective biodiversity conservation strategies. This latest recognition follows Aleja’s selection as a 2025–2026 F3, marking another outstanding achievement in her doctoral journey.  

Breann Richey, a PhD Candidate advised by Dr. Michelle Lawing, received the 2026 Willie Mae Harris Fellowship for Outstanding Teaching Assistants. Her research examines the ecological and evolutionary factors facilitating lizard introductions and the impact on native communities. This latest recognition follows Breann’s selection as a 2026 Unsung Hero Awardee from the Graduate & Professional School at Texas A&M, marking yet another outstanding achievement in her doctoral journey.    

Along with winning major fellowships and awards, Oluwaseun, Aleja, and Breann (shown left to right in the photo above) are also working on a project examining how conservation concern is distributed across small terrestrial vertebrate assemblages in Texas and across rangelands. This research integrates IUCN Red List assessments, species distributions, threat information, and ecoregions to map species richness, the proportion of species that are threatened, declining, or severely fragmented, and assessment uncertainty across Texas. This project will provide a foundation for developing a regional Red List Index and identify whether richness hotspots and areas of uncertainty align with conservation priorities.  

EEB applauds their well-deserved achievements and future publications! 

]]> Heather Baldi won two awards! https://eeb.tamu.edu/2026/05/10/heather-baldi-won-two-awards/ Sun, 10 May 2026 19:13:07 +0000 https://eeb.tamu.edu/?p=19310

Our very own Heather Baldi was recognized for her outstanding commitment to student success at this year’s University Advisors and Councilors (UAC) awards ceremony. She won the highly competitive President’s Award for Academic Advising, as well as the UAC Excellence in Graduate Advising Award. Heather makes EEB function, and we are extremely proud of her well-deserved achievements!

]]> Mei and Timara talk all things Darwin Day on KBTX https://eeb.tamu.edu/2026/02/23/spotlight-mei-and-timara-talk-all-things-darwin-day-on-kbtx/ Tue, 24 Feb 2026 01:10:49 +0000 https://eeb.tamu.edu/?p=19250

Mei Rao and Timara Vereen made a special appearance on KBTX’s “The Thr3e” to spread the word about Darwin Day! Check out their amazing interview here

]]> Spotlight: Ian Ausprey https://eeb.tamu.edu/2025/09/03/spotlight-ian-ausprey/ Wed, 03 Sep 2025 16:15:55 +0000 https://eeb.tamu.edu/?p=18087

Ian Ausprey joined the EEB program in January 2025 and is an Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University in the Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology. His research spans community ecology, landscape ecology, functional ecology, population biology, and biodiversity conservation, with a focus on birds as model organisms. He investigates critical topics such as how agricultural and elevational gradients shape tropical bird communities, how urbanization, fragmentation, and wildfire impact avian populations, and how management strategies can promote avian biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. He regularly integrates functional traits and phylogenies to identify mechanistic explanations underlying the sensitivities of species to anthropogenic disturbance and the evolution of biotic communities across space and time.

]]> Spotlight: EEB at STEGG https://eeb.tamu.edu/2025/06/03/spotlight-eeb-at-stegg/ Wed, 04 Jun 2025 00:00:20 +0000 https://eeb.tamu.edu/?p=17818
The TAMU Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (EEB) Program made a huge impact at this year’s Southeast Texas Evolutionary Genetics and Genomics (STEGG) conference! Held on May 30 at Texas A&M. Organized by our own Dr. Heath Blackmon, STEGG brought together more than 130 evolutionary biologists from across the region and EEB was front and center.

Our students, postdocs, and faculty delivered a strong slate of talks and posters, sharing cutting-edge work on everything from genome evolution and speciation to behavioral ecology and biodiversity science. EEBers were everywhere, in the audience, at the podium, and leading discussions over coffee, and at the happy hour after the conference.

This year, STEGG also featured a special EEB swag giveaway for undergraduate and postbac attendees, made possible by generous contributions from the EEB Program. It’s just one example of how EEB is helping foster the next generation of evolutionary biologists.

And in a fun first for STEGG, the TAMU EEB community was even represented by a father-son duo! Dr. Luis Hurtado Sr. kicked off the conference with a talk on the population genetics of isopods, while later in the day, his son Luis Hurtado Jr.—an undergraduate researcher in Dr. Danial Spalink’s lab—presented his own research on using environmental DNA to detect endangered species.

This kind of turnout shows what makes EEB such a vibrant community: curiosity-driven science, strong support for students, and a deep commitment to growing the evolutionary biology community in Texas and beyond.

Huge thanks to all the EEB members who presented, attended, and helped organize this outstanding event. You represented the program brilliantly!

 

]]> Spotlight: Erick Motta https://eeb.tamu.edu/2025/04/28/spotlight-erick-motta/ Mon, 28 Apr 2025 17:59:20 +0000 https://eeb.tamu.edu/?p=17555
Dr. Erick Motta joined the EEB program Spring 2025. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Entomology.  His research work is primarily centered in the field of microbial ecology, in which he investigates organismal interactions in host-associated microbial communities and how environmental stressors play a role in such interactions. Dr. Motta currently uses the honey bee, Apis mellifera, as an experimental model to explore the processes governing the assembly of gut microbial communities and their impact on host biology. He also investigates how environmental stressors, such as agrochemicals and plant toxins, affect gut microbial communities and the consequences for host health.

]]> Spotlight: Tabitha Olsen https://eeb.tamu.edu/2025/04/07/spotlight-tabitha-olsen/ Mon, 07 Apr 2025 17:33:34 +0000 https://eeb.tamu.edu/?p=17544
Tabitha Olsen (Butler lab) had her work featured in the U.S. Geological Survey’s Notes from the Field series!

Check out “What’s on a sparrow’s dinner menu” to learn more about sparrows and the importance of bird banding.”

]]> Spotlight: Oluwaseun Ajileye https://eeb.tamu.edu/2025/03/10/spotlight-oluwaseun-ajileye/ Mon, 10 Mar 2025 22:27:34 +0000 https://eeb.tamu.edu/?p=17517
Oluwaseun Ajileye (Light lab) has published the first publication from his dissertation research!

Ajileye, O.D.*, G.G. Verocai, and J.E. Light. A review of filarial nematodes parasitizing tick vectors: unraveling global patterns in species diversity, host associations, and interactions with tick-borne pathogens. Parasites & Vectors 18: 50 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-025-06690-6

See also: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13071-025-06690-6

Congratulations Oluwaseun!

]]> Spotlight: Lawing Lab https://eeb.tamu.edu/2025/02/19/spotlight-lawing-lab/ Thu, 20 Feb 2025 02:17:00 +0000 https://eeb.tamu.edu/?p=17409
Congrats to EEB scientists Michelle Lawing, Maria Hurtado, Leila Siciliano­-Martina and the rest of the Lawing lab for their paleontological work. Their research makes it possible to reconstruct ancient ecosystems by analyzing the teeth of over 50,000 carnivorous animal communities from across the world. “The whole point of our research is to use the fossil record to understand what we see today,” Lawing said. “How has the environment changed, and in turn, how have these communities of animals changed? We are looking for specific traits, such as what a species eats, to identify why populations have declined and communities have changed. We’re modeling the framework for conservation management.”  [Photo courtesy of TheBatt.com]

]]> Spotlight: Ruby Mustill https://eeb.tamu.edu/2025/01/14/spotlight-ruby-mustill/ Tue, 14 Jan 2025 18:02:58 +0000 https://eeb.tamu.edu/?p=17131
Ruby Mustill was awarded the Hagler Institute HEEP Fellowship for 2025. Ruby Mustill, second-year Ph.D. student, and her PI, Courtney Fitzpatrick, will collaborate with Hagler Fellow Susan Alberts. The area of study will be focused on life history theory and the evolution of adolescence as a life stage in primates. To read more about Susan Alberts and the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study at Texas A&M University, please visit https://hias.tamu.edu/fellow/dr-susan-c-alberts/.

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