Jess – principle investigator
Hi! I’m Jess Stephenson, Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh (since July 2018). Before this, I was a post-doc in Zürich, Switzerland, and before that I was doing my PhD in Cardiff, UK. You can download my C.V. here for more info, or just email: jess.stephenson@pitt.edu.
Izabelle Weiler
Izabelle manages the people and things in the lab and keeps everything running smoothly! So. Many. Lists. She is interested in developing research at the intersection of disease ecology and conservation. Email her at isw22@pitt.edu
Mary Janecka – post doc
Mary is working on the guppy-gyro system from the parasite’s perspective, by addressing cool questions such as ‘What factors affect their transmission and mating strategies?’ To do this, she is applying her molecular biology skills, and developing some next-gen know how! For more info, email mgj17@pitt.edu, or see Mary’s website:
Jason Walsman – post doc
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
David Clark – grad student
David is interested in host-parasite eco-evolutionary dynamics. More specifically, he wants 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 his awesome research, visit his website: www.davidclarkeid.com
Or email him: david.clark@pitt.edu
Rachael Kramp – grad 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!
Faith Rovenolt – grad 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.
Undergraduate researchers
Currently in the lab we have:
Madalyn Lambe
Emmy Calcaterra
Past lab members
We have worked with a lot of excellent undergrads, many of whom are not on the website because I (Jess) am very slow at updating it.
John Hansen
John worked on a few different things because he’s awesome and interested in everything. He analysed behaviour videos, extracted data from published studies, and taught himself R.
Maura Sackett
Maura analysed lots of behavioural videos, read a lot about guppies, gyros, and behaviour, and wrote a manuscript! She majored in communications as well as biology so we shouldn’t be surprised (but still impressed!).
Stevie also analysed a lot of videos (theme emerging!), reads a lot, and has brilliant ideas that improved our experiments.
Stevie Kisty
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!
Maya Jog – Pitt undergrad researcher
Maya analysed a lot of behaviour videos, reviewed the literature on social context and sickness behaviour, and then graduated early to go to med school. Sorry to lose you, Maya, but congrats again!
Elizabeth Rudzki – grad 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.
Here are some of our collaborators – lovely people!
Stephenson Lab 