Becca Young
principal investigator
she/her
Becca is fascinated by the diversity of forms, functions, and behaviors evident across the tree of life and is curious about how these differences arise. In her spare time, she likes to cook, see live music, and spend time with her family and friends, preferably outdoors.
Morgan Muell
Postdoctoral Fellow
she/her
https://morganmuell.wixsite.com/home
Morgan is interested in the processes that generate biodiversity. She studies amphibians and reptiles to understand how patterns of phenotypic variation emerge across space and time. Outside the lab, you can find Morgan watching anime, planning her next international trip, and enjoying time outdoors.
Fabian Salgado-Roa
Stengl – Wyer Postdoctoral Scholar
https://fcsalgado.github.io/
Fabian is interested in how phenotypic and genetic diversity change at large geographical scales and the factors influencing the presence of multiple phenotypes within a single population. To answer his research questions, Fabian has studied multiple animals, but he’s particularly interested in spiders with multiple colors.
Anika Mahmood
ILS Graduate Student
Anika is interested in glucocorticoid signaling during cryptic metamorphosis E. coqui. In her free time, Anika enjoys painting, reading, traveling, and exploring new coffee shops.
Rebecca Olson
EEB Graduate Student
Rebecca is interested in understanding the cellular mechanisms underlying E. coqui behavior and how individuals can influence one another during reproductive interactions. In her free time, Rebecca enjoys painting, hiking, traveling, and finding new ways to annoy her cat, Bupkis.
Saketh Sundararajan
EEB Graduate Student (co-advised by Dr. Julia Clarke)
Saketh is interested in understanding the processes that give rise to morphological novelties, specifically in archosaurs (birds, non-avian dinosaurs and crocodiles). To do so, he seeks to integrate evidence from developmental biology and paleontology. In his downtime, Saketh likes to read science fiction, watch sports, and spend time outdoors.
Parker Allen
undergraduate researcher
EvoDevOmics peer mentor
Parker is a Biology major pursuing a certificate in programming and computation. He is interested in discovering how gene expression changes across environmental and over evolution. Outside the lab, he enjoys reading, playing violin, and going out on his bike.
Eden Bui
undergraduate researcher
Eden is a Biology major at UT Austin on the Pre-Med track. She is interested in molecular cell biology and how gene expression regulates cellular processes during growth and development. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors and trying new hobbies.
Mahi Mamilla
undergraduate researcher
Mahitha is a biology major at UT Austin. She is interested in organismal physiology and the environmental and genetic factors that influence embryonic development and population evolution. Outside of the lab, Mahitha enjoys live music, crafting, and spending time with her cat Kissa!
Meera Nair
undergraduate researcher
Meera is a Biochemistry major at UT Austin. She is interested in gene expression, development, and the ways these processes differ across species. Outside the lab, she plays the piano and violin, builds Legos, and enjoys reading comics and science fiction.
Hemanth Vangala
undergraduate researcher
Hemanth is a biology major at UT. He is interested in the genetic basis of stripes in coquí frogs using R programming to find a standardized ways of categorizing color and patterns of frogs. In his free time, he enjoys working out, cooking, basketball, and trying new foods in the Austin area
Affiliates and Visiting Scientist
Dr. Joseph Dubie, Assistant Professor of Practice, EvoDevOmics FRI stream
Dr. Kathleen Lynch, Associate Professor, Ramapo College of New Jersey
Dr. Priscila Moura, Postdoctoral Scholar, Auburn University
Lab Alumnae
Postbaccalaureate Researchers
- Clara Zhou de Magalhaes 24-26 – Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Programme in Insects for a Sustainable Future
Undergraduate Researchers
- Sid Ramu Nair ’26 – McGovern Medical School @ UT Health Houston
- Natalie Grater 25-26 – EEB major ’27
- Jax Schellenberger ’26 – Biochemical Engineer @ Bryan Research & Engineering
- Abby Beman ’25 – Quantitative & Computational BioSciences PhD program at Baylor College of Medicine
- Anouka Saha ’25 – EEB PhD program at Washington University in St Louis
- Noé Reyna ’24 – Genetics and Genomics PhD program at UCLA