O'Donnell lab members 

and collaborators

PI Sean O'Donnell

Professor of Biodiversity Earth & Environ. Science and Biology

Ph.D. Zoology/Entomology Univ. of Wisconsin 1993

Karmi Oxman

BEES Ph.D. candidate

Biparental care and neuroecology of desert isopods

Laura Miller

Biology Ph.D. candidate

Cell biology of ovary development


Nicole Barbera

Ecology Evolution & Earth Systems Ph.D. student

Starting fall 2024

Sammie Dolloff

Biology Ph.D. student

Starting fall 2024

Caroline Gallen

BEES undergraduate researcher/former STAR fellow 

Army ant genomics

Ella McVerry

Biology undergraduate researcher

Reproductive system cell biology

Natalie Richards

Biology undergraduate researcher/former STAR fellow 

Neuroecology of desert isopods

Brianna Kong-Quee

Biology undergraduate researcher/STAR fellow 2024

Cell biology of ovary development

Former lab members

Postdocs

Nicole Arcilla, 2014-2016, Behavioral ecology of bird/army ant interactions

Sara DeLeon, 2012-2014, Behavioral ecology of bird/army ant interactions

 

PhD degrees

Meghan Barrett (Drexel Biology) Winter 2022 - Neurobiology and physiological ecology of desert bees with male alternative mating tactics 

Katherine Fiocca (Drexel Biology) Fall 2021 - Caste determination and physiology of paper wasps

Kaitlin Baudier (Drexel Environmental Science) Spring 2017 - Thermal eco-physiology of army ants

Thomas Soare (Univ. of Washington Psychology- Animal Behavior) Summer 2012 - Population genetics and behavioral ecology of army ants 

Yamile Molina (Univ. of Washington Psychology- Animal Behavior) Summer 2009 - Evolution of caste differences in brain structure in paper wasps

Anjali Kumar (Univ. of Washington Psychology- Animal Behavior) Summer 2008 - Behavioral ecology of army ants/Conservation biology

Adam Smith (Univ. of Washington Psychology- Animal Behavior) Summer 2005 - Evolution of social structure in tropical bees

 

MS degrees

Stephan Bonestroo, visiting MS student from the Netherlands- Wood roach brain development

Virginia Caponera, MS (Environmental Science) Summer 2021 - Social spider brain evolution

Jason Stafstrom, MS (Psychology- Animal Behavior) Spring 2011 - Social spider brain evolution


Graduate researchers

Ant behavioral ecology: Kevin Purce

Brain plasticity and brain evolution: Marie Clifford, Robin Harris, Ben Land 

Paper wasp behavioral ecology field research: Sara Ranger, Doug Wacker, Bill Wood 

Termite caste development: Dan Markiewicz 

Avian behavioral ecology: Robert Driver


Undergraduate researchers

Paper wasp biodiversity: Bayanne Kakhia, Rachel Miller, Sean Tully (NSF-REU and Psychology honors)

Army ant genetics: Cara Allen, Bryan Eichen

Brain plasticity and evolution: Vishakha Hariawala, Kayla Helem (UW Mary Gates Fellow) , Annette Kang, Hans Kelstrup, Paulina Khodak, Josh Matlock, Nola McAloon (STAR fellow), Skye Miller, Abigail Mudd (STAR fellow), Justin Neste (NSF-REU), Anna Pollock (Honors student), Andrea Repetto (NSF-REU and UW Mary Gates Fellow), John Salvo, Michaela Schuster, Elisabeth Sulger (STAR fellow), Ceri Weber

Army ant ecology/behavior: Katie D'Amelio, Tessa Erickson, Elise Koncsek, Rumaan Malhotra , Iris Nagai, Sharon Stein

Avian behavioral ecology: Francesca Dogias (STAR fellow), Emily Johnson (STAR fellow), Alyssa Klein (STAR fellow), Savanna Michener (STAR fellow), James Warren (research co-op)

Bee behavior and neurobiology: Angelina Gomez , Devneet Kainth, Cheyenne McNair (STAR fellow), Purnima Sachdeva, Zack Smith, Griffin White, Amelia Brunskill (UW Mary Gates Fellow), Tina Gray, Emily Hultgren, Annette Kang, Mary Kotschwar, Janake Nathan, Chandler Olson, Monica Reichardt (UW Hughes Fellow), Linnaea Renz, Geoff Valentine, Dave Verdirame 

Behavioral genetics: Olivia Gelow, Tarn Adams, Katie Edwards, Kristin Haff, Alisa Hove, Amy Kasameyer, Meredith Klacking, Ana Kobayashi, Tina Stremick, Yoko Takahashi

Caloric restriction: Joel Greenwood

Paper wasp behavioral ecology and physiology: Meghan Campbell (STAR fellow), Kelsey Capobianco, Rheanna Congdon, Emily Fanwick, Anastacia Feoktistova, Emily White, Andrea Repetto (NSF-REU), Nick Spang, Natalie Bostwick, Mark Burns, Jen Gee, Melissa Nakanishi

Termite caste development: Chris Dalinkus  

 

Collaborators from other universities

Helen White, Haverford College - Sociochemistry of insect colonies 

Alexey Polilov, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia - Evolution of body structure

Leticia Aviles, Univ. of British Columbia - Spider brain evolution

Itamar Giladi, Ben Gurion University, Israel- Thermal biology of desert ants

Christine Nalepa, USDA/North Carolina State Univ.- Development and evolution of wood roach brain architecture 

Piotr Lukasik, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland - Ant/microbe interactions

Dan Janzen, Univ. of Pennsylvania- Paper wasp biodiversity

Robert Jeanne, Univ. of Wisconsin- Social wasp behavior, ecology, and evolution

Michael Kaspari, Univ. of Oklahoma- Ant community ecology

Daniel Kronauer, Rockefeller Univ.- Ant population genetics, ant/microbe interactions

John Lattke, Univ. of Central Venezuela- Ant community ecology

Kerry Naish, Univ. of Washington- Army ant population genetics