Assistant Professor
I am from Argentina, and after studying Biology at the National University of Córdoba (Argentina) and at the University of Neuchatel (Switzerland), I got a Master's and then a PhD at the Evolutionary Entomology at the E-vol lab at the University of Neuchatel, after what I got funded by the Swiss and US National Science Foundations to post-doc at the University of Idaho, and learn more about coevolution and model selection.
Over the years, I developed a fascination for specialized pollination interactions (Trollius, Arum, Calceolaria) and pollination communities, which I think are great for answering questions in ecology and evolution.
Along my career I had the luck to learn from many smart and kind people, like Nadir Alvarez, Scott Nuismer, Jack Sullivan, Dave Tank, Tara Pelletier, and Bryan Carstens.
PS: and in case you were wondering how to pronounce my name, read these three letters: N.I.E. That's how. ;)
Over the years, I developed a fascination for specialized pollination interactions (Trollius, Arum, Calceolaria) and pollination communities, which I think are great for answering questions in ecology and evolution.
Along my career I had the luck to learn from many smart and kind people, like Nadir Alvarez, Scott Nuismer, Jack Sullivan, Dave Tank, Tara Pelletier, and Bryan Carstens.
PS: and in case you were wondering how to pronounce my name, read these three letters: N.I.E. That's how. ;)
Post-Docs
Nicolas Medina
nicomed@umd.edu
nicomed@umd.edu
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My research addresses the drivers and origins of plant diversity across macro- and micro-evolutionary scales. I use fieldwork, genomic tools, phylogenetics, phylogeography, and comparative methods to study the evolution of angiosperms. I have been fortunate enough to work with multiple systems: figs, cacti, Acanths, and more recently Calceolaria. My love for nature and the outdoors fuels my motivation to contribute to plant knowledge. I am proudly queer, Latino, and always strive to create more of an inclusive community within academia and the sciences.
Twitter: @botanico_las |
Michael Roswell
mroswell@umd.edu
mroswell@umd.edu
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I grew up outside Baltimore, MD, studied biology and linguistics at Swarthmore College in PA, and received my Ph.D. from Rutgers University in NJ as a member of Rachael Winfree’s lab group. I’m very interested in the ecology and conservation of plant-pollinator interactions, and in robust methods for biodiversity estimation. In the Espíndola lab, my work focuses on the pollination ecology of soybeans. I love sharing what I’m learning about bees, other pollinators, and pollination ecology, and I regularly do outreach programming with schools, beekeeping organizations, master gardeners, and other groups; please contact me if interested.
To learn more, visit Michael's personal website. |
Shweta Basnett
shwetab@umd.edu
shwetab@umd.edu
I am an evolutionary ecologist from Sikkim, India. My research explores how mountain plant-pollinator interactions change across variable biotic (e.g., pollinators) and abiotic environmental contexts. Within this framework, I am particularly interested in understanding how and when floral characteristics evolve, diversify, and affect plant macroevolution.
To answer my questions, I use the globally distributed genus Rhododendron as my model system. My research relies on a combination of observational fieldwork, structural and functional morphology, comparative phylogenetic comparative methods, and distribution modeling.
Check out my website to learn more about my research:
https://basnettshweta.weebly.com/
To answer my questions, I use the globally distributed genus Rhododendron as my model system. My research relies on a combination of observational fieldwork, structural and functional morphology, comparative phylogenetic comparative methods, and distribution modeling.
Check out my website to learn more about my research:
https://basnettshweta.weebly.com/
Graduate Students
Katy Ciola Evans
kciola@umd.edu
kciola@umd.edu
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I am a central Floridian and completed my BA in Zoology from the University of Florida in 2009. As an undergraduate, I worked in many labs ranging from molecular genetics to apiculture and spent one summer in Costa Rica as a field technician. Afterwards, I became a certified African honeybee technician for USDA/APHIS and investigated tissue and cell-specific gene expression in maize in the Department of Microbiology and Cell Science at UF. I received my MS in 2015 from the University of Delaware in Entomology with Professor Deborah Delaney. My thesis focused on sustainable management strategies of honeybees, specifically how interruptions in brood-cycles can be used as a non-chemical management tool to reduce varroa mite populations. After graduating, I spent several years as a lab technician at Penn State Entomology, Center for Pollinator Research working on a variety of projects from cucurbitaceae volatiles and lasioglossum barcoding to community science and blueberry pollination. I came to UMD to study with the #Espíndolab and am generally interested in plant-pollinator mutualisms and edamame pollination. I love flowers and reaching out to the community to highlight the importance of insects in our daily lives. I try to give bugs the positive publicity that they deserve!
Twitter: @katyciola Visit Katy's personal website |
Justin O'Neill
joneill8@umd.edu
joneill8@umd.edu
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I studied at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania for my M. S. There, I contributed ecological niche models to a variety of phylogeographic and integrative taxonomic projects focused on Central American amphibians. During my time at IUP, I also helped with a project looking at habitat characteristics that promoted native pollinator density in early successional forests of Pennsylvania. In the Espíndola lab, I hope to further cultivate my interest in insect ecology and conservation studying pollinators in endangered Serpentine Grasslands. In my free time, I enjoy being out in the woods riding mountain bike or marveling at insects, amphibians, and reptiles. Visit Justin's personal website |
Taís Ribeiro
tmattoso@umd.edu
tmattoso@umd.edu
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I am from Brazil and came all the way to Maryland to be a PhD student at the EspindoLab! As for my academic formation, I am a bachelor and licensed for teaching Biological Sciences, I did both my undergraduate and Master at the University of Brasilia , advised by Prof. Antonio Aguiar and Dr. Aline Martins. My main research interests are evolutionary biology and biogeography, especially when it comes to the evolution of oil-bees and their association with oil-host plants. In my Masters, I studied the evolution and ecological niches of the oil collecting bees of genus Lanthanomelissa, and how its biogeography reflects the origin and diversification of the South American Grasslands. Here at the EspindoLab I am looking at the evolution of the oil-bee genus Chalepogenus and their oil-collection preferences, especially in respect to Calceolaria flowers, and using phylogenomic approches.
Twitter: @taismattoso Visit Taís' personal website |
Undergraduate Students
We're often looking for interested undergraduates. Get in touch with Anahi Espindola (anahiesp[at]umd.edu) if interested.
Jenan El-Hifnawi
jenan.elhifnawi@gmail.com
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Hi! I’m a Senior undergraduate majoring in general biology, with minors in sustainability and entomology. At the EspíndoLab, I work with Katy Evans exploring the pollinator and pest communities of edamame. I also coordinate a bumble bee citizen science survey at the USGS Bee Lab under Sam Droege, and serve as the ESO undergraduate representative.
I grew up in Montgomery County and have been in Maryland most of my life, so I love learning more about our native species and how they interact! Outside of entomology, I am absolutely obsessed with my dog and my indoor jungle of house plants. Eventually, I want to do pollinator research focused on advancing agricultural sustainability. |
Past Members
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Cecile Kenny
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Lauren Frankel
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Eric CrandellEric was an Honors undergraduate student in the lab, and worked on understanding the diversity of pollination interactions in the Serpentine Grassland of Maryland. Eric is now a Graduate Student at Clemson University.
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