President
The EEBISO president is the chief student leader of the organization and maintains the recognized status of the organization. They organize and lead EEBISO meetings, attend executive committee meetings as the student representative, participate as a voting member of the executive committee, and report back non-confidential information to EEBISO. Additional tasks include signing forms, revising the Constitution, applying for funds for educational activities, being the point of contact for EEB Application Buddies, and often working closely with the EEB program coordinator and EEB chair.
Treasurer
The treasurer is responsible for organizing payments for EEBISO events as well as procuring funds for events. Other responsibilities include maintaining the recognized status of the organization and fundraising, which includes t-shirt sales and the silent auction at the annual crawfish boil.
Outreach Representative
The outreach representative is the lead on recruiting volunteers, forming new collaborations, and organizing outreach events for EEB, including events with The Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History (Booneville Days, Wish Upon a Butterfly), WISE – Expanding Your Horizons, and educational opportunities for local schools and at Lick Creek Park. Additional duties include helping to form a committee, setup, participation, and working closely with the EEB outreach chair and EEB program coordinator for Darwin Day.
Events Representative
The events representative is the lead on organizing social events for EEB, including our annual crawfish boil, happy hours, potlucks or picnics, community building activities like game nights, camping trips, and various other events. Other responsibilities include coordinating the EEB mentor-mentee program for incoming students. This position also works with the EEB program coordinator and EEB communications chair to provide EEB social media outlets with information to advertise and boost EEB’s social media reach.
Seminar Representative
The seminar representative works closely with the EEB program coordinator and EEB seminar chair to communicate student perspectives or concerns about seminars, report seminar news to the EEBISO leadership, and helps with grad student seminar lunches.
EEBISO 2025-26 Elected Officers
OLUWASEUN AJILEYEPresident
I am a 4th year PhD student in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Program at Texas A&M University, under the supervision of Dr. Jessica Light. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology (parasitology) from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria, where I focused on characterizing and isolating medically important parasites and pathogens associated with humans and wildlife. My research now centers on the complex dynamics of host-parasite interactions and vector-borne diseases. I am particularly interested in investigating the distribution and coinfection patterns of filarial nematodes and tick-borne pathogens in North American tick vectors, employing next-generation sequencing and advanced molecular techniques to characterize tick microbiomes and elucidate the biological associations between vectors, parasites, and pathogenic microorganisms. Outside of research, I enjoy playing/watching soccer, traveling, and learning new languages (Spanish)!
RUBY MUSTILLTreasurer
I am a third-year PhD student in Dr. Courtney Fitzpatrick’s lab with interests in primate behavior, life history, and sexual selection. I’m from Chicago, and I graduated from Columbia University in 2021 with degrees in anthropology and evolutionary biology. Before moving to Texas, I studied macaques in Puerto Rico and baboons in Kasanka National Park, Zambia. For my dissertation research, I’m combining theoretical and empirical methods to study the evolution of adolescence in primates. I’m interested in science writing and outreach, and I served on the 2024 and 2025 Darwin Day planning committees. For fun, I like knitting, trying new restaurants, and hanging out with cats.
SERENA FARRELLOutreach Representative
I am a graduate student in Dr. Spencer Behmer and Dr. Greg Sword’s lab. As an undergraduate student I attended Cal State San Marcos and received my bachelor’s degree in biology. As an undergrad, I had the opportunity to study animal physiology in relation to Aedes aegypti osmoregulatory tissues. Now I study microbiomes of locusts and grasshoppers and the environmental impacts on the microbiome community in relation to behavioral plasticity. Outside of research I enjoy working out, playing pickleball, and hanging out with my cat Juju Bean!
ADAM BOWEREvents Representative
I am a third-year Ph.D. student in the Brightsmith lab. I earned my bachelor’s degree in biology at Pensacola Christian College and studied the physical chemistry of peptide-lipid membrane interactions at Colorado State University. Before beginning my doctoral studies, I worked on parrot ecology and conservation with The Macaw Society in Costa Rica. My dissertation focuses on the landscape and reproductive ecology of a psittacine assemblage in the southwest Amazon Basin. Specifically, I study the spatiotemporal abundance patterns of over a dozen psittacine species, as well as the behavioral biology of incubation and nesting in Ara macaws. Outside of research, I enjoy playing the piano and exploring new hiking trails.
MALITH VIDURANGASeminar Representative
I am a 3rd year PhD student in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology program at Texas A&M University, working in Dr. Daniel Spalink’s lab. I was born in a small coastal town in Sri Lanka, where I grew up with ready access to rainforests that inspired my passion for plants. I graduated with a special degree in Plant Science from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, where my undergraduate research focused on niche modeling, distribution, and range dynamics of Sri Lankan endemic plant species. My current research explores the worldwide genus Impatiens, with an emphasis on its niche dynamics, biogeography, and phylogenetics. Outside of research, I enjoy practicing traditional Sri Lankan dancing, trying different food cuisines, and collecting plant species.
