Nancy is an evolutionary biologist interested in the genomic basis of contemporary evolution in natural populations. Her research integrates genomics and long-term demographic studies to characterize the evolutionary processes shaping patterns of variation across the genome through space and time. Nancy earned her Ph.D. with Andy Clark and John Fitzpatrick at Cornell University and then did a postdoc with Graham Coop at UC Davis before moving to Rochester. She is committed to promoting equity and inclusion in STEM. Nancy enjoys running, hiking, cooking, and playing board games. CV
Email: nancy.chen@rochester.edu
Twitter: @popgenchen
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Elizabeth is interested in understanding how external forces influence population genetics across landscapes. She is using demographic and genomic methods to evaluate the spatial scale of dispersal and gene flow among breeding colonies of Weddell seals found in Antarctica. This approach will help identify potential drivers of temporal variation in immigration. Elizabeth earned her Ph.D. at Montana State University, where her dissertation addressed the population genomics of bighorn sheep in the Rocky Mountains. In her free time, she enjoys rock climbing, gardening, and hiking.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Daniel joined the Chen lab in late 2022. He mainly studied computational biology for his PhD, with an emphasis on making new tools to improve or facilitate genomic analyses. He has a long-term goal of facilitating analyses of non-model organisms. In the Chen lab, he is looking into the Florida Scrub Jay, using the lab’s available datasets to investigate organismal fitness on a genomic level. He has occasionally made educational stop-motion or Claymation shorts, and is looking into making one for this lab as well.
Pronouns: he/him/his
Shailee is interested in the movement and dispersal of organisms in response to ecological and social factors, and the resulting group and population dynamics. She is studying Florida scrub-jay dispersal patterns on both an individual and population level. She hopes this work will help us better understand what non-scrub habitat Florida scrub-jays prefer to use for movement between scrub habitat and help inform future conservation and management decisions. Shailee earned her Ph.D. in Dr. Dustin Rubenstein’s lab at Columbia University. Her doctoral dissertation investigated the socioecological drivers of complex social structure in an avian cooperative breeder, the superb starling. In her free time, Shailee enjoys reading (a lot), photography and hiking with her dog, Gus. For more, see Shailee’s website.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Elsie wants to understand how behavior, ecology, and the environment interact to shape the evolutionary trajectories of birds. She is studying a system of sympatric Myzomela honeyeaters to learn how hybridization and recently evolved sex chromosomes influence genetic introgression and speciation. Elsie completed her Ph.D. at Kansas State University with Dr. Alice Boyle, studying how the abiotic environment influences the scope of sexual selection in Neotropical Manakins (Pipridae). For more, see Elsie’s website.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
As a PhD student in the Chen lab, Faye is interested in using genomics, computational biology, and population genetics to better understand how inbreeding impacts the fitness of small, threatened populations. Specifically, she is investigating the underlying genetic architecture of inbreeding depression: how does elevated inbreeding manifest in the genome, and what regions of the genome contribute to fitness, and ultimately, population decline? During her undergraduate, she used museum specimens to determine how hummingbirds have responded to human-induced environmental change. Faye also loves to swing dance, birdwatch, and play video games! For more, see Faye’s website.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Jeremy is a PhD student interested in the causes of population decline and the role of dispersal in demographic and evolutionary trajectories. Using population level demography, individual fitness variation, and population genetics, he is investigating how dispersal into preserved Florida Scrub-Jay habitat contributes to population growth and levels of genetic variation. Jeremy is also interested in teaching evolutionary biology with an emphasis on diversity at every level of organization and the ways humans shape and interact with our local ecosystems. For more, see Jeremy’s website.
Pronouns: he/him/his
Abby is a current sophomore majoring in Ecology and Evolution and Environmental Studies. This is her first semester in the lab and she is excited to learn more about population genetics, data analysis, and coding in R. She is especially interested in conservation. Abby is looking forward to implementing what she has learned in her classes. Outside of the lab, she enjoys crocheting, taking care of her houseplants, sailing, and doing artsy things.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Alex is currently a junior majoring in Molecular Genetics. She joined the lab in Fall 2022 and is currently working on a project looking at the dispersal and genetic variation of Weddell seals! Outside of the Chen Lab, Alex enjoys drawing, listening to music, playing the piano, and reading!
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Xuewen is a Take Five senior student majoring in EEB and Philosophy. She joined the lab in Feb 2022 and is broadly interested in how environmental factors shaped species behaviors, both in individuals and in populations. Xuewen is currently working on a project investigating hybrid gulls’ distribution and ecological niches. Outside of her interest in ecology, she also enjoys crocheting, gardening and reading. Xuewen is currently pursuing her interest in literature through her proposed Take Five Program: Dramatic Figures in Literature and Films, focusing on Horror and Fantasy Genres.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Xin Yi (Cindy) is a current undergraduate sophomore majoring in Biochemistry. She joined Chen Lab in the Fall of 2022. Cindy is interested in population genetics and evolution and wants to explore more in the fields of environmental consequences that contribute to the changes in species populations. Outside of the lab, she enjoys cooking and playing badminton in her free time.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Kristin is a senior undergraduate majoring in molecular genetics and joined the Chen lab in October 2020. She is hoping to pursue a PhD in population genetics. She is currently working on a project elucidating the demographic, environmental, and genetic forces driving blood parasite infections in the Florida Scrub-Jay. Outside of the Chen Lab, she is a member of the women’s track and field team.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Jenna is an undergraduate majoring in Molecular Genetics and minoring in American Sign Language. She is very interested in how genetic variation affects populations and quantifying biological data utilizing various computer programming languages. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys listening to music and playing Minecraft.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Vanita is a first-year student with a major in biology, potentially pursuing the neuroscience track. She is curious about the reasons behind population decline in endangered species and would like to explore conservation methods. Outside of research, Vanita loves creative writing, reading, dancing, and fashion.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Allison is a sophomore studying Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a minor in sustainability. She is interested in conservation and hopes to specifically work with sea turtle populations. She also hopes to pursue a PhD in Marine Biology and Ecology. Allison just joined the lab this semester and looks forward to learning more about population genetics and programming with R.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Blue is majoring in computational biology and joined the lab in January of 2023. They have an interest in understanding evolutionary processes and population dynamics. Blue enjoys doing simulation modeling and computational analysis of genomic data. In the Chen lab, Blue is currently working with genome assembly and annotation. Outside of studying, they love reading a good sci-fi book.
Pronouns: they/them/theirs
Dashi and Espurr are second-year cats with broad interests including displays of affection, sleeping, and occasionally learning tricks. Dashi is our resident entomologist and wants to investigate the culinary uses of insects, if his lab-mate Jeremy would let him catch any. Espurr is specializing in botany and has discovered that frequent face rubbing with plants triggers a strong purr response in herself.
Minka is a springerdoodle who loves chewing on sticks, is obsessed with balls, and wants to play with every person/dog/cat she meets.
Gus is a rambunctious, teen-aged (in dog years) rescue pup who wants nothing more than to lie on your lap so that you are forced to write while he takes a well-earned nap.
Felix Beaudry (postdoc) - became a Research Associate at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research
Tamanna Bhatia (undergraduate)
Michaela Burrell (undergraduate) - became a high school biology teacher
Jonathan Chow (undergraduate) - became a MS student at Georgia Tech
Tiffany Dias (undergraduate) - became a PhD student at the University of Michigan
Syed Ars Ghani (undergraduate) - became a Take 5 Scholar
Martha Hoffman (post-bac research intern) - became a vet student at Cornell
Bailey Jones (visiting undergraduate) - became a lab tech at Yale
Matthew Le (undergraduate) - became a MS student at USC
Lindsey Perrin (Master’s student) - became an artist and animal care attendant
Nandini Samanta (undergraduate) - became a lab tech at Harvard
Siddarth Seenivasa (undergraduate)
Gladiana Spitz (undergraduate) - became a PhD student at CU Boulder
Ceylin Zeybek (visiting undergraduate) - became a PhD student at SUNY Buffalo
Bo Zhou (undergraduate) - became a MEng student at UC Berkeley
Ph.D. rotation students: Maria Isabel Castano, Rose Driscoll, Matthew Lindsay
Reed Bowman, Archbold Biological Station
Andy Clark, Cornell University
Graham Coop, UC Davis
John Fitzpatrick, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Steve Schoech, University of Memphis
Susan Johnston, University of Edinburgh
Josephine Pemberton, University of Edinburgh
Andrew McAdam, CU Boulder
Andrea Townsend, Hamilton College
Jay Rotella, Montana State University
Scott Edwards, Harvard University