Marcus Kronforst is a Professor in the Department of Ecology & Evolution and the lab PI. His research focuses on the genetics and evolution of mimicry and speciation in butterflies. He and the members of his lab apply a combination of molecular and population genetics, phylogenetics, behavioral studies, and field research to address questions regarding evolution and genetics of adaptation and speciation.
Erick Bayala is a Ph.D. student in the Integrative Biology graduate program. He is interested in understanding the developmental mechanisms of color pattern formation and evolution.
Isabella is studying the evolution of development in Heliconius butterflies.
Meredith Doellman is a Chicago Fellow studying population and functional genomics of color pattern polymorphism in swallowtail butterflies.
Paula Fernandez-Begne is a Ph.D. student in the Ecology & Evolution graduate training program. Paula is currently rotating in the lab and studying the evolution of plant/insect interactions.
Micah Freedman is an NSF Post-doctoral Fellow studying migratory behavior and host-plant interactions of monarch butterflies.
Phoebe Hall is studying the genetics and development of mimicry in Papilio butterflies.
Alexandria Im is studying the mating behavior of Heliconius butterflies.
Wei Lu is a Ph.D. student in the Ecology & Evolution graduate program. Wei’s research focuses on the evolution and genetics of mating behavior in Heliconius butterflies.
Darli Massardo is the lab manager and a research scientist with areas of expertise that include genomics and genome editing.
Tim O’Connor is an NIH NRSA Post-doctoral fellow studying interactions between pierid butterflies and their Brassicaceae host-plants.
Hsiang-Yu Tsai is a Ph.D. student in the Ecology & Evolution graduate program. Hsiang-Yu is currently rotating in the lab and studying monarch butterfly migration.
Nick VanKuren is an NIH-funded post-doctoral scholar who is investigating the functional genomics of swallowtail supergene mimicry and the genetic basis of mate preference in Heliconius.
