Lab Members
“Argue for your limitations and, sure enough, they're yours.”
― Richard Bach
Michael W. McCoy
Associate Professor of Quantitative Ecology
Lab PI
I develop and implement experimental and statistical approaches to link empirical data to ecological and evolutionary theory. I typically take a mechanistic approach to understand how individual traits (e.g. size, stage and phenotype) scale up to influence population and community level processes and spatial coupling across ecosystems. I have broad interests and my research is very question driven and integrative. As a result I have worked on wide variety of topics, organisms and in a wide array of ecological systems. In my spare time I enjoy running ultramarathons, hiking, camping, traveling, and spending time with my family.
Sarah Goodnight
PhD Candidate
Sarah’s reserach focuses on helminth endoparasites of amphibians. She is interested in their complex, multi-host life cycles that bridge ecological and trophic gaps. She is specifically focused on how parasites disperse across landscapes by manipulating their hosts. In her free time, Sarah enjoys running (away from her problems), watching documentaries, and snuggling with her overweight cat, Pi.
Natalia Jaworski
MS Student
Born and raised in Chicago, earned her BS in Biological Sciences from Illinois State University. Being from the Midwest without access to the coasts, she became intrigued with long distance migration of marine organisms throughout one big ocean. She remains interested in movement patterns , especially of elasmobranchs. Natalia enjoys spending time in or on the water, constantly finding new artists of all genres to listen to on Spotify, and napping.
Madelyn Hair
MS Student
Madelyn is fascinated by interactions between marine species and the complex web of interconnectedness that determines the health and resilience of an ecosystem. She plans to examine ways in which humans and climate change alter behaviors and interactions in the marine environment. She is also interested in assessing and implementing solutions that minimize human impact on the marine environment. When she isn’t studying something and drinking copious amounts of coffee, Madelyn loves hiking, diving, learning other languages, and traveling around the world.
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Garrett Maggio
MS Student
Garrett was born in California and grew up in Massachusetts, where he discovered a passion for evolution and marine ecology. While studying at Wheaton College MA, he developed an interest in herpetology and pursued research on Cape Cod’s diamondback terrapins as well as sea turtles in the Galápagos Islands. Garrett is most interested in the evolution of ecological niches and intra- and inter-specific interactions, and how these change in response to anthropogenic pressures. Garrett loves soccer, music, traveling, and spending time at home with his pet axolotls.