Dept. of Biological Sciences, 203 Clapp Hall, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA 15260-3929

turcotte@pitt.edu

Twitter: @Exp_EvoEco

I am fascinated by evolutionary change. The extent and complexity of adaptions as well as the speed at which evolution can occur is truly remarkable. My research experimentally test how such evolution is driven by and is a driver of ecological dynamics and species interactions. 

My scientific career began at McGill studying adaptation in green algae and on stickleback gene flow in British Columbia. I then joined David Reznick and Daniel Hare at the University of California Riverside for my Ph.D. There using experimental evolution in the field, I showed that rapid aphid evolution significantly alters concurrent population dynamics. In 2011, I began a postdoc with Marc Johnson at the University of Toronto at Mississauga working on plant-herbivore interactions and plant domestication. In 2014, I joined Jonathan Levine’s lab as an independent ACE postdoc at ETH in Zurich Switzerland working on the impacts of phenotypic plasticity and species coexistence. There I began working on Duckweed as a model system for Evolutionary Community Ecology. In 2017 I joined Pitt as an Assistant Professor where I intend to share my love of evolutionary-ecology with the current and next generations.

Dr. Briante Lewis Najev (she/her)

Briante joins us from the University of Iowa where she worked on polyploid snails with Drs. Maurine Neiman & Amy Krist. She is working on what impacts the competitive outcomes among diploid and polyploid duckweed.

Elizabeth Lawrence

Elizabeth is helping with our Duckweed Polyploidy research program

Reagan Hamilton

I am a research technician in the Turcotte Lab, where I assist with graduate research, image analysis and, conduct pilot experiments. I recently graduated from Pitt with a B.S. in Biology. My research interests include sustainability, biodiversity conservation, and understanding the human impact on the environment. I love to travel, shop and play soccer.

Email: TRH66@pitt.edu

From a young age, I have always had a fascination in the diverse organisms that inhabit our planet. This curiosity led me to Dickinson College where I received my B.S. in Biology and completed a study exploring the implications of domestication on wild yeast evolution. I am predominantly interested in the ability of organisms to evolve and adapt to changing ecological stimuli and am eager to investigate such questions further utilizing duckweed and species coexistence. With the increasing threat of biodiversity loss, our ability to understand an organism’s capability to respond to a changing environment is critical in maintaining healthy ecosystems.

Rose DiPaolo

I’ve been in the lab since my junior year, and I’m currently a Hot Metal Bridge fellow conducting an experiment on bioremediation. My research interests are broad but I love learning about anything that deals with plants and animals, particularly animal behavior and communication. I adore the outdoors and love participating in the research that helps us understand it. I love to cook, I'm a huge Star Trek geek, and I love to sing. After my post-bacc, I hope to pursue a PhD within the field of Ecology and learn something new everyday.

Email: RSD51@pitt.edu

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