Principal Investigator
Michael Sheehan
Nancy and Peter Meinig Family Investigator in the Life Sciences, and Assistant Professor
msheehan@cornell.edu
Education:
B.A. (2005) Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania
Ph.D. (2012) Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan
NIH-NRSA Fellow: (2012-13) University of Arizona; (2013-15) UC Berkeley
Research interests: Recognition systems, social evolution, genome evolution, behavioral & evolutionary ecology
Study organisms: Paper wasps, house mice
Michael Sheehan
Nancy and Peter Meinig Family Investigator in the Life Sciences, and Assistant Professor
msheehan@cornell.edu
Education:
B.A. (2005) Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania
Ph.D. (2012) Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan
NIH-NRSA Fellow: (2012-13) University of Arizona; (2013-15) UC Berkeley
Research interests: Recognition systems, social evolution, genome evolution, behavioral & evolutionary ecology
Study organisms: Paper wasps, house mice
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NSF Postdoctoral Fellow
Sara Miller
sem332@cornell.edu
Education:
B.A. University of Chicago
M.S. University of Missouri Saint Louis
Ph.D. (2016) University of British Columbia
Joined the lab in 2016
Research Interests: Understanding the role of biotic selection in adaptation, combining field experiments with genomics. Previous work examined adaptation to intraguild predation in sticklebacks as a PhD student with Dolph Schluter. Current work focuses on using population and comparative genomic approaches to understand adaptation and diversity in paper wasps.
Study Organisms: Paper wasps, sticklebacks
NSF Postdoctoral Fellow
Sara Miller
sem332@cornell.edu
Education:
B.A. University of Chicago
M.S. University of Missouri Saint Louis
Ph.D. (2016) University of British Columbia
Joined the lab in 2016
Research Interests: Understanding the role of biotic selection in adaptation, combining field experiments with genomics. Previous work examined adaptation to intraguild predation in sticklebacks as a PhD student with Dolph Schluter. Current work focuses on using population and comparative genomic approaches to understand adaptation and diversity in paper wasps.
Study Organisms: Paper wasps, sticklebacks
Postdoctoral Researcher
Chris Jernigan
cmj92@cornell.edu
Education:
B.A. (2011) Biology & Chemistry, Butler University
Ph.D (2018) Animal Behavior, Arizona State University
Joined the lab in 2018
Research Interests: Understanding the interplay of phenotypic, behavioral, and neural plasticity. Chris’ dissertation work focused on how individual olfactory experience affects behavioral and neural responses to odors. His current work in the Sheehan lab focuses on understanding the neural and genomic mechanisms that give rise to individual signal recognition in paper wasps.
Study Organisms: Paper wasps, honey bees, stingless bees
Postdoctoral Researcher
Alexander Walton
aw826@cornell.edu
Education:
B.A. (2011) Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona
Ph.D. (2018) Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Iowa State University
Joined the lab in 2018 (joint postdoc with Toth lab at Iowa State)
Research interests: Causes and consequences of behavioral variation in social groups, and the evolution and maintenance of cooperation. Currently working to develop the paper wasp Polistes fuscatus as a model organism for functional genomics. Jointly working between Toth and Sheehan labs.
Study organism: Paper wasps
Alexander Walton
aw826@cornell.edu
Education:
B.A. (2011) Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona
Ph.D. (2018) Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Iowa State University
Joined the lab in 2018 (joint postdoc with Toth lab at Iowa State)
Research interests: Causes and consequences of behavioral variation in social groups, and the evolution and maintenance of cooperation. Currently working to develop the paper wasp Polistes fuscatus as a model organism for functional genomics. Jointly working between Toth and Sheehan labs.
Study organism: Paper wasps
Postdoctoral Researcher
James Tumulty
jt786@cornell.edu
personal website: jamestumulty.com
Education:
B.A. (2007) Biology, Siena College
M.S. (2012) Biology, East Carolina University
Ph.D. (2018) Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota
Joined the lab in 2018
Research interests: The evolution of mechanisms of animal social behavior, particularly regarding
communication that underlies social recognition, and the consequences of recognition for social
dynamics. My previous research on frogs focused on the evolution of territory neighbor recognition
mediated by acoustic signals and on the relationship between parental care and mating systems. My
current research in the Sheehan lab focuses on the evolutionary dynamics maintaining variation in visual
signals that enable recognition in paper wasps.
Study organism: Paper wasps, poison frogs
James Tumulty
jt786@cornell.edu
personal website: jamestumulty.com
Education:
B.A. (2007) Biology, Siena College
M.S. (2012) Biology, East Carolina University
Ph.D. (2018) Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota
Joined the lab in 2018
Research interests: The evolution of mechanisms of animal social behavior, particularly regarding
communication that underlies social recognition, and the consequences of recognition for social
dynamics. My previous research on frogs focused on the evolution of territory neighbor recognition
mediated by acoustic signals and on the relationship between parental care and mating systems. My
current research in the Sheehan lab focuses on the evolutionary dynamics maintaining variation in visual
signals that enable recognition in paper wasps.
Study organism: Paper wasps, poison frogs
PhD Student
Andrew Legan
awl75@cornell.edu
Education:
B.A. (2015) Biology, Vanderbilt University
Joined the lab in 2016
Research interests: I am fascinated by animal social behavior and the basic sensory mechanisms underlying social interactions. I am currently studying the genomic basis of chemosensation in paper wasps
Study organisms: Paper wasps
Andrew Legan
awl75@cornell.edu
Education:
B.A. (2015) Biology, Vanderbilt University
Joined the lab in 2016
Research interests: I am fascinated by animal social behavior and the basic sensory mechanisms underlying social interactions. I am currently studying the genomic basis of chemosensation in paper wasps
Study organisms: Paper wasps
PhD Student
Caitlin Miller
chm79@cornell.edu
Education:
B.A. (2014) Biology, Reed College
Joined the lab in 2016
Research interests: I’m interested in the genetic and neural basis of social behaviors. My research experiences have spanned a range of organisms and system levels, from studying baboon aggression in the wild to gene expression differences in astrocytes during neuronal maturation in cell culture. These experiences have driven me to be fascinated by the kinds of questions that you can ask at the intersection of behavior and neuroscience.
Study organisms: Mice
Caitlin Miller
chm79@cornell.edu
Education:
B.A. (2014) Biology, Reed College
Joined the lab in 2016
Research interests: I’m interested in the genetic and neural basis of social behaviors. My research experiences have spanned a range of organisms and system levels, from studying baboon aggression in the wild to gene expression differences in astrocytes during neuronal maturation in cell culture. These experiences have driven me to be fascinated by the kinds of questions that you can ask at the intersection of behavior and neuroscience.
Study organisms: Mice
PhD Student
Caleb Vogt
ccv26@cornell.edu
Education:
B.S. (2016) Neuroscience/Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Michigan
Joined the lab in 2017
Research interests: Caleb is interested in integrating behavioral ecological and evolutionary approaches with neuroscience to understand how social behaviors are regulated. He is jointly advised with the Warden lab in NBB at Cornell.
Study organisms: Mice
Caleb Vogt
ccv26@cornell.edu
Education:
B.S. (2016) Neuroscience/Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Michigan
Joined the lab in 2017
Research interests: Caleb is interested in integrating behavioral ecological and evolutionary approaches with neuroscience to understand how social behaviors are regulated. He is jointly advised with the Warden lab in NBB at Cornell.
Study organisms: Mice
PhD Student (EEB Reed Lab)
Martik Chatterjee
mc2548@cornell.edu
Working with Sheehan and Reed Labs on NSF-Funded EDGE grant on Polistes functional genomics, 2018-present
Research interests: Martik is interested in gene regulation and color pattern evolution -- and trying out protocols for functional genomics.
Study organisms: Butterflies and wasps
Martik Chatterjee
mc2548@cornell.edu
Working with Sheehan and Reed Labs on NSF-Funded EDGE grant on Polistes functional genomics, 2018-present
Research interests: Martik is interested in gene regulation and color pattern evolution -- and trying out protocols for functional genomics.
Study organisms: Butterflies and wasps
Lab Alumni
2018 - Sara Bluher (master's student)
2019 - Floria Uy (research associate) - Now at University of Rochester
2020 - Russel Ligon (postdoc with Lab of Ornithology)
2018 - Sara Bluher (master's student)
2019 - Floria Uy (research associate) - Now at University of Rochester
2020 - Russel Ligon (postdoc with Lab of Ornithology)
