Lab Members
Graduate Students
Jackson Phillips
he/him
Ph.D. Student
Email: jrp366@cornell.edu
Insta: @jack.outside
Science interests: I am most interested in understanding the interplay of current and historical factors in living lineages of animals, especially frogs and their tadpoles. I study how animals transform and change, over both evolutionary and developmental timescales, to understand how and why the world is filled with such a stunning diversity of lifeforms. I am especially interested in metamorphosis, as well as the evolutionary origins of air breathing and lungs in our own ancient, fish-like ancestors.
Thesis focus: Evolutionary losses and gains of lungs and air breathing in frog tadpoles and the role of metamorphosis in mediating tadpole and frog evolution.
Other interests: nature photography and gastro-alchemy (cooking)
Julia S. Parreiras (pah-HEY-ras)
she/her
Ph.D. Student
Email: js3783@cornell.edu
Twitter: @juliasopar
Science interests: Evolutionary processes and environmental pressures that shape anuran traits, especially key innovations that influence phenotypic and ecological diversification (e.g., behavior, shifts to new life habits and colonization of different environments).
Thesis focus: How reproductive strategies and egg laying behavior might have influenced anuran cloacal morphology and physiology diversification across different lineages, life habits and microhabitats.
Other interests: hiking, cooking, baking, plants and gardening, vinyl records and live music
Quang Pham
he/him
Ph.D. Student
Email: qnp3@cornell.edu
Twitter: @QuangNPham_
Science interests: The origin of novel complex traits in amphibians and how those are maintained or evolve under new climate-mediated selective pressure.
Thesis focus: The cellular and molecular profiles of frog skin, its role in immune defense, and its co-evolution with the chytrid fungi.
Other interests: traveling, hiking, exploring cultures, choir singing, musical theater
The rest of us
Dr. Molly Womack
she/they
she/they
Assistant Professor
Email: mcwomack@cornell.edu
CV | Google Scholar
Science interests: macroevolutionary patterns, evolutionary development (evo-devo), trait loss, skeletons, evolutionary constraint, hearing, and sensory ecology
Other interests: dogs and soccer
Salix
Original Lab Dog
Scientific interests: pack life and prey drive
Other interests: most foods and naps
Bufo
Newest Lab Dog
Scientific interests: artificial selection and the microbiome of face folds
Other interests: pretending to be a shark in water and on land
Alumni
Dr. Sarah McKay Strobel
Current position: Effectiveness Officer at Utah State University
Personal website: http://sarahmckaystrobel.com
Email: sms734@cornell.edu
Former WoLab position: postdoc researcher
Kayla Hancey
Current position: PhD Student at Utah State University (Teal Lab)
Email: kaylahancey88@gmail.com
Former WoLab position: postbac researcher
Dr. Genevieve Mount
Current position: Contractor at Magnit Global supporting Boehinger Engleheim
Personal website: https://lizeve.github.io/
Email: ggmountt@gmail.com
Former WoLab position: postdoc researcher
Dr. Molly Albecker
Current position: Assistant Professor at University of Houston
Personal website: https://www.albeckerlab.com/
Email: malbecker@gmail.com
Former WoLab position: postdoc researcher
Veronica Urgiles Penafiel
Current position: PhD Student at University of Central Florida (Savage Lab)
Email: vlurgiles@gmail.com
Former WoLab position: PhD student
