About the department:

The School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences is a distinct unit at Auburn University. As a land grant institution, faculty in the school focus on research, teaching and outreach with expertise in topics ranging from silviculture, geospatial, socioeconomic, and of course ecology and evolution.

About the research:

My research program focuses on the response of wildlife populations to changes in their environment, often with an emphasis on endangered species and management. At a fundamental level, I am interested in how environmental change influences genetic diversity and complex traits like fitness. Currently, we are exploring this using banner-tailed kangaroo rat populations and freshwater mussels because these critters are so closely tied to their environment. Other work in my lab is determining how to most efficiently estimate the size of wild populations, particularly for species with very large populations or for those that exist at very low densities, using a combination of modeling and field work in the Alaskan bush.

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

I have struggled with many things - learning to manage budgets and people are both big ones to me - but the biggest challenge has been dealing with the pandemic. I was about half way through teaching my first semester of courses when we went all online and I have been teaching online since. This has been a very weird way to learn how to be a good instructor! I think adjusting to online has been weird for students as well; I currently have three grad students in my lab, but I have not met any of them in person. Learning to navigate and work through these hurdles has taken a lot of time and patience, but I try to remind myself all the time that I am very privileged to list these things among my covid-19 pandemic worries.

What has been the biggest surprise so far about being a new PI?

There is simultaneously a lot of help and very little help. Many people have generously offered suggestions about papers, potential funding outlets, and how to recruit graduate students and this is very valuable. But, how to print to the third floor copier from my office is still a mystery.

When and why did you become a SSE member?

I became an SSE member around 2012, when I went to my first Evolution meeting with my lab mates! As I recall there is a significant registration discount for members...

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

I have met a lot of people at Evolution meetings, and had a chance to practice presenting and talking about my research with a crowd that is generally positive. Looking back, I personally really value that period of growth.

Besides research, how do you promote science?

Since starting at Auburn, I have focused my outreach time working with MANRRS. I like this group because there is an active chapter in my unit that focuses on college-level mentoring and professional development as well as a junior-level group that recruits students from the region. I have really enjoyed teaching the junior MANRRS students about genetics!

Do you have a time management tip to share?

I live by my calendar; if a task or event isn't on there it simply won't get done. I learned this from my mom who had the same policy about managing four kids' worth of activities: "If you don't put it on the calendar, you don't have a ride." - Mom, circa 1995

What is your favorite app?

My current favorite is Outlanders, which is a town building game. My husband and I have completed developer-supplied levels and now challenge each other with custom objectives in sandbox mode!

What book should every evolutionary biologist read?

The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin. This is more of a physics book than biology, but the three body environment that exists in the story is extremely harsh, and this results in very unique phenotypes in the story! I found this part fascinating!

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

For me, it was sometimes easy to over-focus on class work, when I really needed to make progress on research or writing. I suggest my students who have similar struggles set time guidelines for themselves so they don't fall into this trap like I did!

What one piece of advice would you give to a postdoc?

Being a postdoc can feel really isolating, so finding other postdocs to commiserate with is essential. ;-)

Do you remember making any mistakes as a trainee; how did you recover?

Once I was doing a bunch of extractions and had sprung for one of the fancy 96-well plate Qiagen extraction kits. Everything was going fine but in the last centrifuge step I bumbled a plate and the liquid in the plate cascaded from row to row, like how an ice cube tray fills under the tap. After running a quick PCR and confirming the whole thing was a contamination nightmare (way more than 2 alleles per sample) I emailed my advisor with a note that was equally apologetic as it was panicked. He responded simply, "Buy more kits," and never said another thing about it.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Right now I am playing a lot of online D&D. My favorite character is a gnome sorcerer named Orola Folklore Bumblebutt who, along with 3 other ex-performers, is seeking vengeance for the destruction of their circus.