Congratulations, Dr. Manna
| January 2026 |
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We are excited that Prothama has successfully defended her PhD dissertation on invasion biology. Her work combined macroecological and population genomic analyses to tackle the outstanding Genetic Paradox of invasion—how presumably genetically depauperate exotic species are able to establish and flourish despite severe bottlenecks. Congratulations, Dr. Manna also on securing a postdoc position with Dr. Shyamalika Gopalan in the Department of Genetics and Biochemistry at Clemson University.
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Keeping up with, what is now, a lab tradition
| November 2025 |
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For the second consecutive year, the lab hosted a "Friendsgiving" potluck where we all shared food we like from our childhood and enjoyed playing board games. The food was tasty and the time together fun. We are looking to repeat this tradition next year!
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Congratulations to Jannine on her successful thesis defense!
| November 2025 |
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Jannine defended her master's thesis on environmental drivers of fibropapillomatosis in green sea turtles. She investigated whether pollution and other sea environmental changes could be responsible for the uptake of this viral disease. Her results opened new research questions while uncovering the complexity of this system.
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Congratulations to Keegan on his graduation!
| October 2025 |
Keegan successfully defended his master's thesis, titled "Investigating the role of environmental heterogeneity on niche differentiation of small mammals across elevational zones in the Northern Andes". Keegan investigated the relationship between spatial environmental heterogeneity and niche differentiation in sigmodontine mice.
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Congratulations to Mohit on his graduation!
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| July 2025 |
Mohit defended his master’s thesis, ‘From Scat to Insight: Advancing Predator Ecology Through Metagenomic Tools and Dietary Analysis,’ where he developed a bioinformatics pipeline to simultaneously identify both host and diet species from scat-metagenomic samples. He has now begun his Ph.D. at Clemson University. We will greatly miss him in the lab.
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Showcasing our research at ASM 2025
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| June 2025 |
Our lab was well represented at the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists, held at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, where Diego, Prothama, Mohit, and Cierra presented their exciting ongoing research.
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Prothama Named Hamilton award finalist
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| June 2025 |
Prothama presented her research on demographic simulation tools in invasion genomics at #Evol2025 and was selected as a finalist for the prestigious W. D. Hamilton Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Presentation
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Prothama Named John Cady Graduate Fellow
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| May 2025 |
Prothama was awarded the John Cady Graduate Fellowship 2025 for her research on the population genomics of invasive hippos in Colombia. The fellowship is funded through the Ohio University Graduate College every year to recognize outstanding graduate students at Ohio University.
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Cierra Honored with Public Service Award
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| April 2025 |
At the Student Expo, Cierra presented her project, ‘Searching for Coydogs: Exploring the Environmental Correlates of Coyote/Dog Introgression in Ohio and Indiana,’ which examines the effects of hybridization between coyotes and domestic dogs. She was honored with the Public Service Award from the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service, an award that supports individuals dedicated to careers in public service and empowers them to positively impact their communities and the environment through education and practice.
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Alvarado-Serrano Lab at Student Expo 2025
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| April 2025 |
Alvarado-Serrano Lab students presented their research at the Ohio University Student Expo 2025. The Expo provides an excellent opportunity to share research with both the university and the Athens community. In the photo: Keegan, Diego, Andy, and Mohit (top row, left to right); Cierra, Prothama, and Jess (bottom row, left to right).
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Prothama Named First Runner-Up in Ohio University 3MT Competition
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| February 2025 |
Prothama participated in the Ohio University Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition and was awarded first runner-up at the university level. The 3MT competition, founded by The University of Queensland in 2008, challenges students to present a compelling overview of their thesis and its significance in just three minutes.
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Sharing Food, Sharing Home
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| Fall 2024 |
The lab hosted a Thanksgiving potluck with the theme ‘Bring a dish that reminds you of home.’ We enjoyed a wonderful spread ranging from momos to churros, celebrating both good food, games and the diverse backgrounds of our lab members.
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New Paper: The Value of Long-Term Ecological Research
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| August 2024 |
Diego and collaborators published an article, ‘The Value of Long-Term Ecological Research for Evolutionary Insights,’ which emphasizes the importance of integrating ecology and evolution across spatial and temporal scales to improve predictions of how species will respond to global change.
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Congratulations Diego for the new paper
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| April 2024 |
Diego and colleagues published a new article, ‘Top Ten Hazards to Avoid When Modeling Species Distributions: A Didactic Guide of Assumptions, Problems, and Recommendations,’ in Ecography. The paper was also selected as the Editor’s Choice for the April issue.
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Bi-annual Group Lab Outing!
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| October 2023 |
The Alvarado-Serrano Lab took a trip to Logan's Scenic Lanes where we enjoyed a couple of fun friendly bowling games! The top scorer was Dr. Alvarado-Serrano (congrats!), for his reward, he bought the group pizza.
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