Lab Members
MARTIN TURCOTTE - (he/him) - ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Martin Turcotte
Dept. of Biological Sciences, 203 Clapp Hall, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA 15260-3929
turcotte@pitt.edu
Twitter: @Exp_EvoEco
I am fascinated by evolutionary change. The extent and complexity of adaptions as well as the speed at which evolution can occur is truly remarkable. My research experimentally test how such evolution is driven by and is a driver of ecological dynamics and species interactions.
My scientific career began at McGill studying adaptation in green algae and on stickleback gene flow in British Columbia. I then joined David Reznick and Daniel Hare at the University of California Riverside for my Ph.D. There using experimental evolution in the field, I showed that rapid aphid evolution significantly alters concurrent population dynamics. In 2011, I began a postdoc with Marc Johnson at the University of Toronto at Mississauga working on plant-herbivore interactions and plant domestication. In 2014, I joined Jonathan Levine’s lab as an independent ACE postdoc at ETH in Zurich Switzerland working on the impacts of phenotypic plasticity and species coexistence. There I began working on Duckweed as a model system for Evolutionary Community Ecology. In 2017 I joined Pitt as an Assistant Professor where I intend to share my love of evolutionary-ecology with the current and next generations.
Postdoctoral Researchers
Dr. Eric Yee (he/him)
I am really interested in how abiotic stressors in cities shape plant trait adaptation and evolution on both local and continental levels. I received my PhD in Earth & Planetary Sciences from Johns Hopkins University in Dec. 2023 where I worked on local heavy metal hyperaccumulation on urban lawn weeds (Plantago spp.), and morphological, physiological, and phenological adaptation to the urban heat island on cosmopolitan lawn weed species.
EGY11@pitt.edu Google Scholar
research Technician
Elizabeth Lawrence
Elizabeth is helping with our Duckweed Polyploidy research program
Graduate Students
Lacey Rzodkiewicz (she/her)
Growing up on the shores of Lake Erie, I took an early interest in aquatic ecology. This interest developed at Allegheny College where I earned my B.S. with a double major in biology and French after completing a study on the allopathic effects of anatoxin-a on phytoplankton as well as literature review algal toxins influence in France. After my time at Allegheny, I completed my M.S. at Central Michigan University studying ecotoxicology in a bivalve system with a focus on contaminant impact on reproduction. I am primarily interested in how local adaptation and selection pressure can influence anthropogenic and natural stressors’ impacts on the organismal through ecosystem levels of biological organization. Given the ever increasing biotic and abiotic stresses detected in aquatic systems, the interactions between stressors and adaptation are more important than ever to ensure appropriate resource allocation.
Email: LDR27@pitt.edu
Hannah Assour (she/her)
Hannah is a 3rd year graduate student interested in invasion and urbanization. She is co-advised with Dr. Tia-Lynn Ashman. For my thesis work, I am broadly interested in exploring the ecological and evolutionary consequences of plant polyploidy, particularly within the context of anthropogenic change. I completed my B.S. in Biology with Teaching at the Temple University. During my undergraduate career, I was fortunate enough to complete research within the fields of population/community ecology, invasion biology, and climate change biology, primarily using plant and insect study systems. Further, I am passionate about combining my work with education and conservation.
Email: HRA19@pitt.edu
Trapper Hobble (he/him)
From a young age, I have always had a fascination in the diverse organisms that inhabit our planet. This curiosity led me to Dickinson College where I received my B.S. in Biology and completed a study exploring the implications of domestication on wild yeast evolution. I am predominantly interested in the ability of organisms to evolve and adapt to changing ecological stimuli and am eager to investigate such questions further utilizing duckweed and species coexistence. With the increasing threat of biodiversity loss, our ability to understand an organism’s capability to respond to a changing environment is critical in maintaining healthy ecosystems. Email: TRH66@pitt.edu
Email:
MAB1195@pitt.edu
Mujeeb Balogun (he/him)
I am a a first-year graduate student whose interest lies at the intersection of pollution monitoring and the biological response of organisms to environmental stressors or chemical contaminants. I hold a B.S. in Environmental Management from the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, where my final year study examined the Effect of industrialisation on groundwater quality in selected industrial areas in southwestern Nigeria. After my B.S., I obtained a Joint M.S. in Marine Environment organised by a consortium of European universities and my thesis examined the Toxicity of two antifouling paint types on three microalgae species: growth, oxidative stress biomarkers, and photosynthesis efficiency before joining the Turcotte Lab in 2024.
Undergraduate Researchers
HUXLEY
Lab mascot and collector of rubs and treats.
Huxley not impressed by the Aletsch Glacier in Switzerland.
Former Lab Members
PDFs
Dr. Cara Faillace (2021-24): USDA Forest Service, Research Aquatic Ecologist
Dr. Thomas Anneberg (2021-23): Former NSF PRFB, now USDA Data Analyst
Dr. Jiaqi Tan (2018-20): Former postdoc, now an Assistant Professor at Louisiana State U.
Dr. Sergio Ramos (2019-21): Postdoctoral Research at U. of Zurich
Graduate Students
Dr. Taylor Zallek (2018-24): U. of Minneapolis Postdoctoral Researcher
Dr. Rachel Reeb (2022-23): (mostly advised by Dr. Kuebbing), now postdoc at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Technicians
Audrey Burr: (2021-23): Ph.D. with Joel Sachs at U.C. Riverside
Jae Kerstetter (2018-22): Ph.D. at Rutgers with Ceasar Rodriguez-Saona
Joshua Armstrong (2017-19): now PhD at Virginia Commonwealth U. with James Vonesh
Undergraduates
Swapna Subramanian (2017-20): PhD at U. of Connecticut with Dan Bolnick
Lillian Leak (2017-20):
Ashley Morris (2017-18): now doing a PhD at Stony Brook University with Jessica Gurevitch
David Conover (2017-18): Former undergrad now in the U.S. Navy
Julie Everett (2018-19); Shourya Mukherjee (2018-19);
Erin Fullerton(2019-21); Olivia Alfe (2019-21); Pooja Jacob (2019-21); Jared Goga (2020); Anna Kelly (2020-21); Kevin Mulcahy (2021-22); Elijah Cordrey (2021-22); Stephanie Cano (2021-22); Liangge Lydia Yu (2021-22), Selin Aygen (2021-22); Olivia Glacken (2021-22); Rebecca Alvarez (2019-22); Kelvin Tieu (2021-22)
Tatiana Cannizzaro (2020-23); Alexander Sessock (2020-23); Emily Sweat (2022-23); Suze Ferguson (2022-23); Maddison Nguyen (2021-23); Dominique Kline (2022-23); Karuna Baral (2021-23); Lucia Miller (2022-23)
Ivan Guo (2022-24); Hannah Wetzel (2023-24); Gyan Kanhai (2022-24); Lillian Dun (2022-24); Emma Paci (2021-24)