CURRENT STUDENTS & POSTDOCS
Sarah Fortner
Sarah received her BS from Northern Kentucky University in 2021 and joined the lab in 2023. Her dissertation research explores the behavioral and community ecology of temperate and tropical forest spiders. Her work in Kentucky focuses on the ecological relevance of spider web orientation, and her work in Panama is uncovering the role of disturbance in shaping spider assemblages.
Dr. Matt Chmielewski
Matt received his PhD at Portland State University and joined the lab as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in 2022. His research focuses on bird assemblages in tropical forest gaps. Specifically he is using audio recordings and visual surveys to compare the avifauna among lightning strike gaps, treefall gaps, and surrounding forest sites in Panama.
Drew Seiler
Drew joined the lab in 2020 after completing his BS in Biology at Thomas More University, where he worked closely with Dr. Christopher Lorentz at the TMU Biology Field Station. His doctoral dissertation research examines nutrient export from the forest canopy to the understory via falling arthropods (i.e., “arthropod rain”).
LAB ALUMNI
Dr. Kane Lawhorn – PhD 2024 – Kane’s dissertation examined how disturbance (fire and lightning strikes) shape arthropod ecology in tropical and temperate forests. He is currently a postdoc at North Carolina State University.
Abby Nienaber – MS 2023 – Abby’s graduate research explored the ecological relevance of damage to Leucauge spider webs.
Dr. Daniella Prince – PhD 2023 – Daniella started her PhD program in the lab in 2016. She received her BS from Brown University in 2012, where she conducted independent research on the evolutionary relevance of spines on ants. Her doctoral research focused on relationships between neuroanatomy and the behavior of tropical ants.
Dr. Rachel Wells – PhD 2021 – Rachel’s doctoral research explored the ecology of Azteca spp. ants in Panama, from chemical eavesdropping to landscape-level patterns of nest distribution. Rachel currently is an Assistant Professor at the University of Cincinnati.
Dr. Jeannine Richards – Postdoc – Jeannine’s postdoctoral research in the Yanoviak Lab examined interspecific differences in the effects of lightning on trees. She is currently on the faculty at Florida Gulf Coast University.
Dr. Evan Gora – PhD 2018, Postdoc – Evan’s graduate research focused on the ecology of wood decomposition in Panama, and his postdoctoral research focused on the ecological effects of lightning in tropical forests. He is currently a staff scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.
Dr. Jelena Bujan – Postdoc – Jelena joined the lab as a Postdoctoral Associate in 2017 after completing her PhD at the University of Oklahoma, where she studied ant ecology with Mike Kaspari. Jelena’s postdoctoral research explored the effects of thermal extremes on ant behavior in Panama.
Dr. Benjamin “Max” Adams – PhD 2018 – Max joined the lab as a PhD student in 2013 after completing his MS in Linda Hooper-Bui’s lab at Louisiana State University. His dissertation research explored how lianas shape canopy ant species richness. Max is currently a postdoc in Scot Powell’s Lab at George Washington University.
Dr. Alyssa Stark – Postdoc – Alyssa joined the lab as a Postdoctoral Associate in 2014 after completing her PhD at the University of Akron, where she studied the adhesive properties of gecko toes. She is currently on the faculty at Villanova University.
Dana Frederick – MS 2014 – “Raining into water: arthropod export from the canopy and subsequent predator escape behavior”
Dr. Robin Verble – PhD 2012 – “Effects of prescribed fire on Ozark ant ecology” Robin currently is a Professor and Director of the Ozark Field Station at the Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla.
Petrus Moreira – MS 2012 – “Canopy ants of central Arkansas and the Atlantic Forest of Brazil: community patterns”
Theo Sumnicht – MS 2012 – “Canopy effects on tropical leaf litter arthropods”
Canopy Arthropod Biology 