People in the Lab
Christopher Austin
CFO & Principal Investigator
Office: B9 Foster Hall
Phone: 225-578-2841
E-mail: ccaustin@lsu.edu
Eric Rittmeyer
PhD student
Office: 210 Foster Hall
E-mail: erittm1@lsu.edu
Research Interests: I’m interested in using molecular markers to examine the evolutionary relationships among populations of closely related species of amphibians and reptiles, particularly lizards. I want to examine how phylogenetic and phylogeographic patterns may have been structured by geography and habitat availability. I’m also interested in the evolution of habitat specialization and its impact on the relationships among taxa. Geographically, I’m most interested in the Papuan region, particularly the islands of Northern Melanesian (the Solomon and Bismarck Archipelagos).
Cathy Newman
PhD student
Office: 210 Foster Hall
E-mail: cnewm15@tigers.lsu.edu
Research Interests: My research interests center around phylogeography and conservation genetics, particularly in the Southeastern U.S.
Chris Dahl
MSc Student, University of Papua New Guinea
E-mail: cdahl@wcs.org
Research Interests: Ecology, systematics, and diversity of New Guinea frogs. Chris was an honours student at the University of Papua New Guinea supported by Conservationl International and the Austin lab NSF grant. He is now a MSc student at the University of Papua New Guinea and he is based in Goroka, PNG. He has been working closely with Steve Richards (Conservation International) and Chris Austin (LSU) over the last several years examining beta diversity of New Guinea frogs.
His most recent publication is: Dahl, C., V. Novotny, J. Moravec, and S. J. Richards. 2009. Beta diversity of frogs in the forests of New Guinea, Amazonia and Europe: contrasting tropical and temperate communities. Ecography 36:896–904.
John Anderman
Undergraduate Research: Currently working on population genetics of invasive species, specifically Carlia from various Pacific islands. Currently working on the systematics and biogeography of the New Guinea snake genus Tropodinophis.
Lauren Oliver
Undergraduate Research: Currently working on population genetics of invasive species, specifically Carlia from various Pacific islands. Currently working on the systeamtics, population genetics, and phylogeogrpahy of the New Guinea frog genera Astrochaperina and Mantophryne.
Past Lab Members
Nathan Jackson – PhD student 2005-2011
Now a posdoc at Carleton University.
Office: 210 Foster Hall
Phone: 225-578-5393
E-mail: njacks4@lsu.edu
Research Interests: I am interesting in utilizing gene trees and the distribution of these trees across a landscape to explore the history and nature of adaptation, divergence, and dispersal experienced by natural populations.
Alison Hamilton – PhD student 2000-2008
Now a postdoc at UCLA.
E-mail: ahamilton@ucla.eduWebsite
Research Interests: I am interested in the evolution of island faunas, both in the processes responsible for differentiation, and in the resulting diversity- especially of reptiles and amphibians. My research focuses on several species of lizards from two families (Scincidae and Gekkonidae) in the relatively young group of oceanic islands that make up the Vanuatu Archipelago in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. To understand how populations differentiate early in a radiation, I am using a combination of phylogenetic and population genetic approaches to uncover population and species history in a group of closely related skinks endemic to the islands of Vanuatu (Emoia). I am also studying sympatric populations of bisexual and unisexual (parthenogenetic) geckos (Nactus) in Vanuatu and elsewhere in the Pacific to elucidate the origin and evolutionary history of this species complex.
Joshua Jordan – Undergraduate 2005-2008 – Honor’s School
Now in Medical School at LSU Shreveport.
Office: B10 Foster Hall
E-mail: jjord24@lsu.edu
Research Interests: Molecular systematics of New Guinea reptiles, human medicine and management.
Honor’s Thesis: Conservation genetics of Boelen’s python (Morelia boeleni) from New Guinea: genetic uniformity of captive and wild animals. His research resulted in a scientific peer-reviewed paper that is currently in press in Conservation Genetics. Joshua graduated with honors in May 2009 and received the Black Scholars Award for his scholastic and research work at LSU.
Stacy Peterson – Undergraduate 2005-2008
Now MSc student at Mississippi State University.
Research: Conservation genetics of Boelen’s python (Morelia boeleni) from New Guinea: genetic uniformity of captive and wild animals. Her research resulted in a scientific peer-reviewed paper that is currently in press in Conservation Genetics.
John McVay – Laboratory Technician, 2007-2008.
Now a PhD student at LSU in Bryan Carsten’s lab
E-mail: jmcvay1@lsu.edu
Christpher Hayden
Amanda Johnson – Undergraduate 2007
Jamie Oaks – MSc student (2004-2007)
Now a PhD student at the University of Kansas.
Heather Hurston
Visiting MSc student from University of New Orleans (2005)
Mike Voorhies – Undergraduate 2004-2006
Matt Fields – Undergraduate 2004-2005
Laura Deverteuil – Undergraduate 2004-2005
Greg Fuerst – MSc Student 2001-2003
Fuerst, G.S. and C.C. Austin. (2004). Population genetic structure of the Prairie Skink (Eumeces septentrionalis): nested clade analysis of post Pleistocene populations. Journal of Herpetology, 38:257-268.
Sarah Monley – Undergraduate 2002
Andrea Widdel – Undergraduate 2001 – 2002 – Honors Program
Thesis: Species concepts and boundaries of the lizard Lipinia noctua: molecular and morphological approaches.