My research interests are broad and encompass many aspects of fish evolution. I am most interested in species-level relationships, phylogenetics, systematics and biogeography. What are the boundaries between species? How long have lineages been separated and why? How have groups diversified taxonomically and morphologically over geological timescales? I am not taxon specific and work/have worked on: lizardfish, rockfish, groupers, wrasses, and headstanding characins (superfamily Anostomoidea). 

Email: bfrable "at" ucsd.edu

I am interested in how nutrition and environment impact the physiology of animals, with my research spanning from overall physiology to gene expression and the gut microbiome. I am a devoted animal lover and also enjoy gardening and singing. As a Filipina-Mexicana women who has experienced barriers throughout my journey, I am passionate about increasing opportunities for underrepresented minorities in science. Throughout my graduate career, I have been implementing concrete actions to increase diversity and inclusiveness at and beyond UCI. I remain committed to anti-racism. #BlackLivesMatter ​

Website: https://michellejherrera.weebly.com 

Email: mjherre1 "at" uci.edu

I earned a B.Sc. (Biology) and M.Sc. (Biological Oceanography) degrees from The University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. My background includes projects focusing on areas such as ecological experimental design, statistical modeling, and data analysis of fish community compositions. My current interests reside in topics like phylogenetic and genomics analyses of pelagiarian fishes, including an exploration of the evolutionary origins of endothermy. At the Fish Evolution Lab I will pursue my scientific goals by working with an excellent team of evolutionary ichthyologists.

Email: fernando.melendez1 "at" ou.edu

I obtained my B.Sc. degree in Biological Sciences from the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (Peru) and my M.Sc. degree in Biology from The George Washington University. I am broadly interested in studying the evolutionary biology of marine organisms and this interest has led me to spent most of my time developing and using bioinformatic tools. Past projects included scalable software implementation for quality control steps on phylogenomic datasets and the use of machine learning methods for dissecting the factors underlying gene tree error. For my Ph.D. at OU, I intend to explore emerging technologies for analyzing phylogenies and to collaborate in ongoing projects at the Fish Evolution Lab.

Ulises’ website

Email: urosas "at" ou.edu

I obtained my B.Sc in biochemistry from the University of Oklahoma. During my undergrad, I began focusing on fish biology after taking Ichthyology with Dr. Arcila. Later, I began research with Dr. Arcila which led me to an NSF REU at the University of Washington with Dr. Elizabeth Miller. While in this experience, I studied the feeding morphologies of deep-sea anglerfishes.  My work suggests that feeding modes of deep sea anglers are far more diverse than previously recognized and highlights that deep sea anglers underwent impressive morphological diversification following the colonization of the deep. Now, I am broadly interested in exploring phylogenomics as well as identifying macroevolutionary trends and the drivers of diversity within fishes. In the future I hope to integrate biochemistry and fish biology to explore the evolutionary history of biochemical adaptations. .

Email: zachheiple "at" ou.edu

I earned a B.Sc. (Aquatic and Fishery Sciences) at the University of Washington, where I focused on systematics and phylogenetics, primarily on deep reef fishes. I described a new species of damselfish (Chromis vanbebberae) found on mesophotic reefs in the Caribbean and tropical west Atlantic. I then earned my M.Sc. (Biology) at San Francisco State University studying the evolution and development of novel body plan features in manta rays, gaining expertise in in situ hybridization and microsurgery. My current interests lie in the evolution and development of novel body plans in fishes and how these characteristics can inform phylogeny. I have a particular interest in sea moths (family Pegasidae) and intend to synthesize my experiences from my B.Sc. and M.Sc. to investigate the family’s unusual traits in the context of phylogeny within Syngnathiformes, an order with poor phylogenetic resolution. 

Email: epmcfarland "at" ucsd.edu

I have always been very interested in ichthyology, particularly the evolution and systematics of fishes, which led me to earn two B.Sc. degrees from the University of California, Santa Cruz (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; and Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology). As an undergraduate, I studied physiological adaptations in moray eels (Muraenidae) through my home department, and also examined bacterial symbiosis and host specificity in a clade of shallow-water bioluminescent fish (Apogonidae, genus Siphamia) through an NSF-sponsored REU. My principal research interests lie in the phylogenetics, systematics, and physiology of fishes, particularly in the context of the deep ocean and its prehistoric role in fish evolution. While I am especially captivated by deep-sea and coldwater marine fish, I am eager to fill in the many, many unknowns of ichthyology and fish systematics.

Email: dhhays "at" ucsd.edu

I obtained my B.Sc. in Biology and Environmental Science from the University of Chicago, where I studied freshwater hatchetfish ecomorphology and lichen symbiosis at The Field Museum of Natural History. Previously, I worked to develop white shark eDNA detection methods in the Block Lab at Stanford University as part of a long-term monitoring program in the Monterey Bay. I am interested in the functional morphology and evolution of large pelagic predators and deep sea fishes, particularly related to systems such as endothermy, vision, and bioluminescence. I plan to combine morphological analysis (2D and 3D morphometrics) with genomics to uncover the molecular basis of extreme phenotypes with convergent functions. Currently, I am working to resolve relationships within the highly diverse adaptive radiation of sea catfishes (family Ariidae) located in Australia and New Guinea.

Email: j8zhong "at" ucsd.edu

I earned my BS in Marine Biology from the University of California San Diego. I am currently continuing as a BS/MS in Marine Biology at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. As I have grown to learn more about the marine sciences, I have realized that I am most interested in the biology of marine organisms from megafauna to fishes. I am currently conducting research on the evolutionary history of the fish group, Stomiatti, which spans shallow and deep-sea habitats. My research will investigate the phylogenetic relationships of the group as well as quantify jaw shape to assess connections between the depth-gradient and morphological adaptation.

Email: shc045 "at" ucsd.edu

I am obtaining a BS in Marine Biology from the University of California, San Diego.  As I have pursued research and taken more courses in my undergraduate degree, I have found myself interested in applications of genetics to understand ecology and organismal adaptations to the environment.  My past research was focused on evolutionary developmental biology in marine snails, and I aim to expand my lab experiences prior to pursuing a graduate education.  I will be conducting research under Dr. Dahiana Arcila on Triodon, a monophyletic pufferfish.  I intend to complete RNAseq and transcriptome work on the species, in order to understand genetic mechanisms contributing to the evolution of body inflation across families of fish.

Email: eignatoff "at" ucsd.edu