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 interested in understanding the developmental mechanisms of color pattern formation and evolution.
Meredith Doellman is a Chicago Fellow studying population and functional genomics of color pattern polymorphism in swallowtail butterflies.
Lukas Elsrode is studying patterns of wing scale variation across Lepidoptera.
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.
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.
Roberto Márquez is an NSF-funded post-doctoral scholar studying phylogeography and genetics of color patterning in Phyllobates poison dart frogs.
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.
Ayşe Tenger-Trolander is an NSF-funded post-doctoral scholar studying genetic and environmental determinants of migratory behavior in monarch butterflies.
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.
