Lab members

I obtained my M.Sc. from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and my Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Bogota, Colombia). I am interested in population genomics, comparative phylogeography, phylogenomics, and evolution of fishes. At the Fish Evolution Lab, my postdoctoral research has focused on the phylogenomics and evolutionary convergence of body shape in snappers and fusiliers along the benthic-pelagic axis. I am also involved on a project aimed at investigating the evolutionary mechanisms that have driven adaptive radiations in marine-derived freshwater fishes using whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetic comparative approaches.

Email: melissa.rincon.sandoval "at" ou.edu

I am an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, beginning my fellowship at the Burke Museum of the University of Washington, and now joining the Sam Noble Museum family. The goal of my fellowship is to understand how fishes colonize the deep sea, and how evolution proceeds after they get there. I am also working on the genomics of hybridization in North American fishes. I am broadly interested in why species richness varies among clades, habitats, and geography.

Email: ecmiller "at" ou.edu

I obtained B.Sc. (Biology) and M.Sc. (Ecology and Conservation) degrees from Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo (Mexico). I have studied the conservation of freshwater fishes of Central Mexico and the genetic connectivity/fragmentation of several cryptic reef fishes in the Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP). I am broadly interested in continuing my research on the phylogeny and phylogeography of two related genera of blennies (Malacoctenus and Labrisomus) that occur in the TEP and the Caribbean, in order to elucidate the processes that have driven their diversity in both regions. At OU, I will pursue my Ph.D. under the supervision of Dr. Ricardo Betancur and will participate in various projects on marine fish evolution.

Email: carmen.pedraza "at" ou.edu

I obtained the B.Sc. degree in Biology and Marine Biology at the University of Navarra (Spain) and the M.Sc. degree in Biology at UiT, The Arctic University of Norway. One of my previous projects consisted in sequencing, for the first time, the complete mitochondrial genome of the Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus, the oldest living vertebrate), and investigating its phylogenetic placement. I am broadly interested in conducting phylogenetic and phylogeographic analyses of Caribbean fishes, with special emphasis on conservation. My interest in fish evolution and conservation, brought me to do my PhD at OU where I will participate in different projects related to the natural history of fishes.

Email: a.santaquiteria "at" ou.edu

I received a B.Sc. in Zoology from the Ohio State University and a M.Sc. in Marine Science from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, in Saudi Arabia. I am interested in fish evolutionary biology and genomics. I love small fishes, and past projects have focused on the ecology and biodiversity of cryptobenthic species such as gobies and blennies. My current research at OU is incorporating fossil evidence to investigate the effect of past paleoclimatic changes on the evolution of body size in tetraodontiform fishes, a morphologically diverse clade.

Emily's website

Email: emily.troyer "at" ou.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 a B.Sc. in Zoo and Wildlife Biology from Bob Jones University and a M.Sc. in Biological Sciences from Southeastern Louisiana University. I am interested in the evolutionary relationships of morphologically diverse and/or bioluminescent fishes. My master’s work focused on phylogenetics and species delimitation within a genus of freshwater livebearers. For my Ph.D. I intend to work on the evolutionary relationships of deep sea Lophiiformes (i.e. anglerfishes).

Sarah’s website

Email: sarah.ward "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 obtained a B.Sc. degree in Zoology and a M.A. degree in Museum Studies from the University of Oklahoma. I grew up in rural Oklahoma where I developed a love for ecology. Later, as an undergraduate student, I found I loved working with specimen collections. In 2004, I became the first full-time Collection Manager for the Department of Ichthyology at the Sam Noble Museum. My main objective as the Ichthyology Collection Manager has been to ensure the integrity of the collection’s data and make it available to the broader scientific community. My interests include museum studies, museum outreach, and best practices for fluid collections.

Currently at The University of Basel (Postdoctoral Fellow)

Currently at The University of Tennessee Chattanooga (M.Sc. student)

Currently at The University of Alabama (Assistant Professor)

Universidade Federal da Paraiba, Brazil (2019-2020)