Jess – Principle Investigator
Hi! I’m Jess Stephenson, researcher (roughly at the Associate Prof level) in the Department of Zoology at Stockholm University (since 2025). Before this, I was Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh (since July 2018). Before that, I was a post-doc in Zürich, Switzerland, and before that I was doing my PhD in Cardiff, UK. You can download my (likely out of date…) C.V. here for more info, or just email: jess.stephenson@zoologi.su.se or jfrstephenson@gmail.com.
Rachael Kramp – Graduate Student
Rachael is particularly interested in looking at the frequency of hybridization/sexual reproduction of Gyrodactylus turnbulli in response to environmental changes. Specifically, how host skin microbiome disturbance influence infection burden, transmission, and adaptation of our model parasite. Find out more at rachael.kramp@pitt.edu!
Tabea Schneider – Research Technician
Tabea graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in April 2024 with a degree in Ecology & Evolution. She is currently working on the large-scale epidemic experiment using Poecelia reticulata and her wormy ectoparasites, while analyzing their social behaviors and worm transmission. You can contact Tabea at tas257@pitt.edu.
Past Lab Members
Noah Leith – Postdoctoral Researcher
Noah is a postdoctoral fellow who examines how changing climates affect animal communication, social behavior, and biodiversity. In the Stephenson lab, he is researching how heatwaves affect disease dynamics in freshwater fish populations, and how fish sociality and reproductive behavior mediate these responses to multiple environmental stressors. During his PhD at Saint Louis University, he studied how climate shapes the evolution of complex sexual signals in arthropods, and how sexual traits can help or hinder arthropod persistence in changing climates. You can email him at ntl17@pitt.edu.
Natalia Tepox-Vivar – Visiting Graduate Student
Natalia is a PhD student at INECOL in Xalapa, Mexico, and a member of the Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva at BUAP. At Stephenson Lab, her research focuses on the infection dynamics of female guppies across different reproductive stages. She is also investigating the impact of parasites on poeciliid fishes, comparing species that have developed placentas to those that have not. You can contact her at ntv16@pitt.edu or natalia.tepox@posgrado.ecologia.edu.mx.
David Clark – Graduate Student
David is interested in host-parasite eco-evolutionary dynamics. More specifically, they want to explore the cost of parasite infection, how hosts offset this cost, and what factors could influence this interaction.
To learn more about David and their awesome research, visit their website: www.davidclarkeid.com
Or email them: david.clark@pitt.edu
Faith Rovenolt – Graduate Student
Faith is interested in modeling host-parasite interactions, especially the role of host resistance and tolerance in disease dynamics as well as the impact of host sex differences and sexual selection. You can contact her at fhr6@pitt.edu.
Carolyn Tett – Research Technician
Carolyn graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in April 2023. After spending a summer working with small mammals at the Utah DNR, she joined us in October 2023. She is currently working on a large-scale epidemic experiment using Poecelia reticulata and their wormy ectoparasites, while analyzing their social behaviors and worm transmission. You can contact her at cat209@pitt.edu.
Sadie Evanov – Research Technician
Sadie graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in April 2024 with a degree in Ecology & Evolution. Currently, their work focuses on analyzing the distribution of Pocelia reticulata infections in Trinidad with an emphasis on identifying transmission hotspots across various land use areas. You can contact her at ste34@pitt.edu.
Jason Walsman – Post doctorate Researcher
Jason develops and tests theory of the interactions between individual-level, disease processes and population-level ecology. Particularly, he is studying interactions between parasite virulence evolution, host social behavior, and within- and between-host interactions.
For more info, see https://jasonwalsman.weebly.com/
or email jcw105@pitt.edu
Mary Janecka – Postdoctorate Researcher
Mary was an NSF fellow in the lab from 2020-2023, and is now an Assistant Professor at University of Texas El Paso (congrats!!). She still uses the guppy-gyro system from the parasite’s perspective, by addressing cool questions such as ‘What factors affect their transmission and mating strategies?’ For more info, email mjjanecka@utep.edu, or see Mary’s website:
Izabelle Weiler – Lab Manager
Izabelle managed the people and things in the lab and kept everything running smoothly 2021-2023. She then got 6 gradschool offers – including many fully funded, fellowshipy ones – and is now at University of Arizona.
Regina Patrick – Lab Manager
Regina helped set up the lab and kept it running smoothly – pandemic and all! She has now moved on to bigger and better water quality things!
Elizabeth Rudzki – Graduate Student
Elizabeth is advised by the awesome Kevin Kohl, and during her time in the lab contributed a lot to our project on the role of the guppy microbiome in mediating its relationship with gyros.
Past Undergraduates
John Hansen
John worked on a few different things because he’s awesome and interested in everything. He analyzed behavior videos, extracted data from published studies, and taught himself R.
Maura Sackett
Maura analyzed lots of behavioral videos, read a lot about guppies, gyros, and behavior, and wrote a manuscript! She majored in communications as well as biology so we shouldn’t be surprised (but still impressed!).
Stevie Kisty
Stevie also analyzed a lot of videos (theme emerging!), reads a lot, and has brilliant ideas that improved our experiments.
Maya Jog
Maya analyzed a lot of behavior videos, reviewed the literature on social context and sickness behavior and then graduated early to go to med school. Sorry to lose you, Maya, but congrats again!
- Anjali Kumar
- Annie Lecrone
- Charlie Walsh
- James Oberleitner
- Josh Tamsen
- Kaylee Mulligan
- Kelley Troutman
- Kitt Kroeger
- Kruthika Chintamani
- Paige Person
- Sadie Evanov
- Shivam Chand
- Surya Venkatesan
- Vineet Nayak
- Ashka Patel
- Mariam Azizbekyan
- Nehara Andrews
- Rina Zambetti
- Sai Midde
Stephenson Lab 