Ecology & Evolution Scientist Spotlight

Get to know some awesome scientists

These “Scientist Spotlight” interviews are a part of Heather Olins‘ Introduction to Ecology and Evolution course at Boston College (BIOL2010). The goals of the project are to introduce students to a wide variety of career trajectories within ecology and evolutionary biology and simultaneously highlight a diverse group of engaging scientists.

Beth flexes her left arm confidently displaying a tattoo depicting both model organisms she studies: frog and zebrafish
Dr. Beth Bearce

Dr. Beth Bearce was a doctoral candidate in the Lowery Lab at Boston College when this interview was conducted. She has since successfully defended her dissertation. Beth studies the embryonic cells that later develop and differentiate to create almost all tissues of the face.

Dr. Shane Campbell-Staton
Dr. Shane Campbell-Staton

Evolutionary biologist interested in physiology, genomes and human-mediated adaptation.

Nicole Dobroski
Nicole Dobroski

Nicole Dobroski is an Assistant Chief of the Marine Environmental Protection Division for the California State Lands Commission. She has worked for the Commission since 2006.

Dr. Kiana Frank
Dr. Kiana Frank

Dr. Kiana Frankʻs fundamental research goals are to identify environmental drivers of microbial dynamics and to characterize the impact of microorganisms on biogeochemical cycling in mineral-hosted ecosystems from mountain ridges to mid-ocean ridges.

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant
Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant is a large carnivore ecologist with an expertise in using statistical modeling to investigate how anthropogenic factors can influence the spatial patterns of carnivore behavior and ecology.

Elise Gray
Elise Gray

Elise Gray is a PhD candidate in the Meyer Lab at Boston College. Her research focuses on the evolution of cis-regulatory RNAs in bacteria and in her spare time she enjoys fiber arts and exploring nature.

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

Dr. Johnson is the founder and CEO of Ocean Collectiv, which is a strategy consulting firm for “conservation solutions grounded in social justice”.

Dr. Ambika Kamath
Dr. Ambika Kamath

Dr. Ambika Kamath is a Miller postdoctoral fellow at UC Berkeley, working with Damian Elias in the Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management.

Dr. AJ Kumar
Dr. AJ Kumar

Dr. Kumar is the Chief Scientific Officer at Jana Care.

Dr. Laura Lagomarsino
Dr. Laura Lagomarsino

Dr. Lagomarsino is an Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences and proud Director of the Shirley C. Tucker Herbarium at Louisiana State University. She is a botanist and evolutionary biologist.

Shayle Matsuda
Shayle Matsuda

Shayle is a graduate student working on a PhD candidate in Marine Biology at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa in the Gates Coral Lab.

John Mead
Dr. Shane Campbell-Staton

John Mead is the Eugene McDermott Master Teacher in Science at the St. Mark’s School of Texas, where I taught with him from 2006-2009.