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 PhD candidate
Biparental care and neuroecology of desert isopods
Laura Miller
Biology Ph.D. student
Insect-microbe symbioses; cell biology of ovary development
Caroline Gallen
BEES undergrad researcher/STAR fellow
Allometry and the evolution of body form
Bayanne Kakhia
Biology undergrad researcher
Paper wasp biodiversity
Rachel Miller
BEES undergrad researcher/STAR fellow
Bee sensory systems; Paper wasp biodiversity
Natalie Richards
Biology undergrad researcher/STAR fellow
Neuroecology of desert isopods
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
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
Wood roach brain development: Stephan Bonestroo (visiting MS student from the Netherlands)
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: 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