T. Ryan Gregory - Professor

Dr. Gregory completed his B.Sc. at McMaster University in 1997 and earned his Ph.D. in evolutionary biology and zoology from the University of Guelph in 2002. He has been the recipient of several prestigious scholarships, fellowships, and awards, including the 2003 NSERC Howard Alper Postdoctoral Prize, which identified him as the top postdoctoral researcher in Canada in any field of science or engineering, and most recently a McMaster Alumni Association Arch Award (2005), an American Society of Naturalists Young Investigator Prize (2006), and the Canadian Society of Zoologists Bob Boutilier New Investigator Award (2007). Dr. Gregory carried out postdoctoral research at the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the Natural History Museum in London, England, before joining the faculty in the Department of Integrative Biology and the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario at the University of Guelph. Dr. Gregory's primary research interests include large-scale genome evolution, biodiversity and genomic diversity, and macroevolution. His first book, The Evolution of the Genome, was published in early 2005. He is an Associate Editor of the journal Evolution: Education and Outreach.

For more details, see Dr. Gregory's full Curriculum Vitae or visit his blog Genomicron.

João Lima - PhD Student

João (pronounced "Zhwong") earned his B.Sc. at the University of Guelph and his M.Sc. at the University of Alberta, and has recently returned from Brazil to conduct Ph.D. research in the lab. He is studying genomic diversity in parasitoid and gall-forming wasps, involving both genome size quantification and DNA barcoding. He is co-advised by Dr. Bob Hanner and Dr. Joe Shorthouse (Laurentian).

Chandler Andrews - MSc Student

Chandler is a graduate of the University of Waterloo who is studying genome size variation in birds. His M.Sc. research seeks to significantly expand the avian genome size dataset, and to investigate patterns associated with cell size, metabolic rate, flight ability, and other important biological factors.

Jillian Smith - MSc Student

Jillian comes to the lab via the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Guelph. Her M.Sc. research involves a major study of genome size variation in mammals. This includes investigations of the effects of bulk DNA content on such parameters as cell size, metabolism, and development.

Paola Pierossi - MSc Student

Paola graduated with a B.Sc. from the University of Guelph in early 2008, having worked for two summers in the lab and after completing her honours project on butterfly genome size diversity. She began her MSc in Fall 2008 and is studying patterns of genome size among molluscs, in addition to developing DNA barcoding tools for the phylum. She is co-advised by Dr. Paul Hebert.

Tyler Elliott - MSc Student

Tyler recently completed his B.Sc. in the Molecular Biology and Genetics program at the University of Guelph. He carried out an honours project in the lab that involved developing a system for testing mutational sensitivity among species of flies with different amounts of non-coding DNA. He returned as an M.Sc. student in Fall 2008 and is investigating patterns of evolution and competition between transposable elements in arthropod genomes. He is co-advised by Dr. Teresa Crease.

Brandon Laforest - Undergraduate

Brandon joined the lab as a volunteer during his 3rd year and worked as a summer student as part of the Undergraduate Research Assistantship (URA) program over the following summer. He is now completing his 4th year research project which involves a large survey of genome size diversity in moths.

Kevin Ashforth - Undergraduate

Kevin is studying genome size diversity among rotifers as part of an undergraduate thesis study.

Alison Forde - Volunteer

Alison is a 4th year student who is volunteering in the lab and will work on a genome size study of rodents in collaboration with Jill Smith.

Allyson Parker - Volunteer

Allyson is a 3rd year student volunteering in the lab and will be working on bird genome sizes in collaboration with Chandler Andrews.

Former members

• Alex Ardila Garcia (MSc, Winter 2005 to Summer 2008) -- "Genome size evolution in the insect orders Odonata and Hymenoptera". (Thesis defended Aug. 25, 2008).
• Martin Brummell (PhD student, not completed, Winter 2006 to Summer 2008) -- Climate and genome size.
• Catherine Jardine (IBIO*4500, Winter 2008) -- "Genome size of sponges (Phylum Porifera)".
• Amanda Winegardner (volunteer, Fall 2007) -- Fly hybridization study.
• Katie Chisholm (IBIO*4500, Winter 2007) -- "Hot and cold blood: haematological parameters and climate in mammals".
• Nicole Bergevin (IBIO*4500, Winter 2007) -- "Physiological and haematological correlations between body size, metabolic rate and erythrocyte characteristics across locomotory feeding niches in aquatic birds".
• Cameron Ellis (IBIO*4500, Winter 2007) -- "The prevalence of Darwinian and non-Darwinian conceptions of evolution among science graduate students".
• Rhett Hamilton (MBG*4500/4510, Fall 2006/Winter 2007) -- "Endopolyploidy of Bombyx mori silk glands".
• Emily Smith (IBIO*4500, Winter 2006) -- "Genome size diversity in fishes".

Fall 2007

Fall 2006