Interested in joining a lab? Read through the various specialties, pick some that look interesting to you, decide which research option is best for you.
![a red-orange and black bird held by its feet](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_focal_point_300x200/public/2019-09/Nanda-oriole.jpg.webp?itok=xI2HvnM6)
-- Field of molecular ecology--I am particularly interested in the role that past or present geographic barriers play in the evolutionary history of species, emphasizing their phylogeography, genomics and conservation.
-- Song variation between populations of closely related bird species
![Monkey](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_focal_point_300x200/public/2024-02/corewyn-monkey_0.jpg.webp?itok=5Yi750YW)
--Primate Genetics Lab: Determining social kinship, reproductive skew, population genetic structure, and antibiotic resistance genes in mantled howler monkeys.
--Field Site in Costa Rica: Determining factors contributing to primate population decline; implementing conservation management strategies.
![cells under fluorescent microscope](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_focal_point_300x200/public/2019-09/Dave-temp.jpg.webp?itok=IcPixoQ_)
-- Compare, via in silico identification, virulence factors which are unique to Chlamydia species and allow for host adaptation
-- Create Chlamydia virulence factors fusion with fluorescent proteins via in vitro moleculer cloning
-- Contrast spatial and temporal regulation of Chlamydia virulence factors via in vivo over expression during infection and "immunity".
-- Develop hybrid Chlamydia strains for in vivo screening of increased/decreased host specificity
![line traces of action potentials and a photo of a cell under fluorescent microscope](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_focal_point_300x200/public/2019-09/Jean-temp.jpg.webp?itok=6KIQKasm)
-- Electrophysiological characterization of individual neurons in the cardiac ganglion
-- Analysis of changes in neuronal gene expression using PCR and immunohistochemistry
-- Biochemical analysis of changes in protein levels using Western Blot analysis
![diagram of alternative gene splicing](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_focal_point_300x200/public/2019-09/maki-research.jpg.webp?itok=__CmShbl)
How are genes turned on and off?
--Identifying factors involved in splicing via high throughput screens
--Cloning a library of mutants via complementation
--Identify mutations in factors involved in splicing by whole genome sequencing
--Examining the role of RNA polymerase C-terminal domain in regulation via mutagenesis
![four dwarf hamster pups in a huddle](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_focal_point_300x200/public/2019-09/Kanda-pups_1.jpg.webp?itok=CMdzBzl2)
Animal personality and environment shaping animal movements
-- Lab: personality of dwarf hamsters influencing social and foraging behaviors
-- Field: wildlife personality in urban vs rural landscapes
-- Field: habitat use and movement of mammals and amphibians
![drawing of a clear worm and its internal organs](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_focal_point_300x200/public/2019-09/Lo-worm.jpg.webp?itok=m8SNKYz7)
-- Understanding protein signaling specificity and how developmental processes evolve.
Learn more about the Lo Lab.
Learn more about the Woods-Lo Lab tardigrade collaboration.
![black and white leaf cells next to two false-color images of leaves](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_focal_point_300x200/public/2019-09/Peter-leaves.jpg.webp?itok=H1037rny)
Investigations on plant responses to the environment.
Current focus on:
-- Impacts of introduced species in Puerto Rico
-- Adaptations to seasonal freezing and drought
![four water fleas](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_focal_point_300x200/public/2019-09/Brooks-daphnia.jpg.webp?itok=IsnjldWW)
-- Adaptation to UV radiation exposure in alpine ponds
-- Divergence in thermal tolerance between lake and pond populations
-- Molecular methods to measure DNA damage and identify species
![a slug, slug glue in a tube, and a diagram of a slug glue protein](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_focal_point_300x200/public/2019-09/Andy-slugs.jpg.webp?itok=8ndpCG_l)
How animal glues work: guiding the development of bioinspired medical adhesives
-- Characterize the components of a biological secretion that forms an unusually tough glue
-- Determine how different proteins and metal ions create toughness and adhesion in this glue
-- Use this information to synthesize a novel tissue adhesive
![a succulent plant with white flower](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_focal_point_300x200/public/2019-09/Susan-Flower.jpg.webp?itok=1tbrmrqN)
Research on Puerto Rican Fan Flowers:
- Pollination Biology
- Genetic Diversity
- Impacts of Invasive Species on Islands
![a red-dyed fish embryo on a black background](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_focal_point_300x200/public/2019-09/Ian-Redfish.jpg.webp?itok=0tRolhy5)
Computational & Developmental Bio
-- Computational biology: learn and apply bioinformatics and programming skills to genome-scale analyses in humans and model organisms
-- Developmental biology: analyze the roles of genes acting in sensory neuron development and tissue regeneration.
Also, Learn more about the Woods-Lo Lab on tardigrade collaboration.