About the department:

The Biology department at Appalachian State University is located in the southern Appalachians, an area of high biodiversity. Between our location and the biological preserve located on campus, I can easily collect the flies that I’m working with in between classes. With its strong focus on authentic research experiences for undergraduates, I have many opportunities to work with talented undergraduates.

About the research:

My research is focused on the evolution of novel biochemical adaptations and their impact on the biodiversity of organisms. In many cases, not much is known about these traits beyond what species possess them. I use a wide range of approaches to characterize the physiological mechanisms that generate these adaptations (e.g., selection experiments, feeding assays, a variety of ‘-omics’ methodologies) and examine their evolution in a phylogenetic context. I’m currently examining this question in mushroom-feeding Drosophila that can develop in toxic Amanita mushrooms in addition to edible mushroom species.

What has been the biggest challenge as a new PI so far?

Realizing that as a PI, you're basically a small business owner. You have to make sure you have the necessary equipment and consumables to run your research program. Often this involves getting competing quotes to get the best deal and get the most out of your startup, but you also have to decide how much your time is worth. Once your lab is equipped you need to make sure the people in your lab are happy and that they feel confident in what they're doing. We really don't get much training in this as a graduate student or postdoc.

How do you/will you approach mentoring new lab members?

My goal as a mentor is to ensure that my lab members feel confident conducting the experiments associated with their projects. With this in mind, the first semester is usually focused on teaching them the set of techniques they'll need to complete their project and also providing opportunities for them to test these skills in a low-stakes setting. Once my lab members have been trained, I try to let them work as independently as possible.

Are you recruiting? If so, how do you/ will you choose new lab members?

At Appalachian, we have an active undergraduate research program along with a Master's program. I've been lucky to recruit four talented undergraduates in my first semester. My process has been a combination of recommendations from other faculty, observing the students in a class setting, and having students come to me. With students who are interested in possibly doing research in my lab, I meet with them one on one to discuss the types of questions we work on in the lab and the associated chores of maintaining fly colonies. I think it's very important for the students to find the questions exciting since there are a lot of repetitive tasks associated with research (e.g., picking very small fly larvae). I'm currently looking for my first Master's student.

What does becoming an SSE member mean to you or your career?

Being a member of SSE allows me to present my research in a diverse venue and keep up with what's cutting edge in evolution.

When was your first Evolution Meeting, and how did it affect your career?

The first Evolution Meeting I attended was in Raleigh, NC in 2014. It was my first time presenting at a meeting outside of the annual Entomological Society of America conference. I also had my first opportunity to meet with my postdoctoral advisor at University of Alabama (Laura Reed) and her lab members.

Do you remember your first publication in Evolution or Evolution Letters (acceptance or rejection)?

I do remember since it happened this past fall. I submitted a manuscript from my postdoc examining genetic variation for toxin tolerance in a population of flies that feed on mushrooms and fruit. The manuscript was rejected but without prejudice. The reviewers suggested an additional experiment and some extra analyses that will strengthen the manuscript. I'm currently working on these revisions, and I'm hoping to resubmit this spring (barring a lab shutdown due to COVID19).

Besides research, how do you promote science?

I really enjoy participating in outreach targeted to local K-12 schools. This past fall I got to be a part of the Skype a Scientist program. I'm hoping that this year I'll be able to start working with local teachers in Boone to design hands-on activities related to evolutionary biology.

Do you teach evolution? What is the hardest concept to teach?

I'm going to be teaching our Introductory to Evolutionary Biology course. From my previous experience teaching evolution, I find that Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium, phylogenetics, and speciation seem to tie in terms of difficulty for the students. With HWE, a lot of students seem to shut down when they see the math involved. I've found that if you start by pointing out the ridiculous nature of the assumptions, it's much easier to hold their attention when you get to the math. The difficulty of phylogenies comes from the various formats that they're presented in and understanding the relationships among the species. With speciation, the confusion seems to stem from the fact that many of the students have been primarily exposed to the biological species concept. It's a bit of a shock when they learn there are over 30 concepts and growing.

Do you have a time management tip to share?

Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. It's very easy to say yes to every opportunity that's presented to you as a new PI. Often it seems that this might be the only chance. But it's much better for your sanity to say no to some things so that you don't end up stretched too thin.

What one piece of advice would you give to a starting graduate student?

Make sure the question that's the focus of your project is something you're passionate about now or you can be passionate about. Otherwise it can be difficult to keep working on it when you're faced with tedious or repetitive tasks like picking several hundred fly larvae or dissecting insect genitalia.

Did you ever have something go wrong in a talk?

At the Evolution meeting in Providence (2019), the fire alarm system started malfunctioning during my session. It was fixed by the time I was scheduled to talk, but then my powerpoint wouldn't load. I was just about to give my talk with no visuals when someone in the audience suggested one more possible solution, and it worked. I think it's the only time I haven't been nervous during a talk.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

That I got to live in Scotland while my dad was on sabbatical. Because we were there when Mad Cow disease was spreading, I can't donate blood.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I really love knitting. So if you see me wearing something knitted, odds are very good that I made it. One of the perks of taking the position at Appalachian is that we get enough snowy days that I have an excuse to knit more.