Who we are

  • the lab 2023

We are dedicated to promoting an inclusive and safe environment in our lab.  We support all the members of our team in realizing their full potential, and we value the creativity and productivity that comes from the meeting of diverse minds. Read more here

News_AKG_Dobzhansky

Amanda Kyle Gibson (Mandy) is an assistant professor in Biology.  She got her PhD in Evolution, Ecology and Behavior from Indiana University and worked as an NIH FIRST postdoctoral fellow at Emory University. Mandy studies the evolutionary ecology of host-parasite interactions. She has a particular fondness for coevolution, the evolution of sex, the evolution of virulence, nematodes, polyphagy, and biological control.
amandakgibson at virginia dot edu, (434) 243-2626. CV

Caroline Amoroso is a postdoc in the lab, coadvised by Mandy Gibson and Janis Antonovics. Caroline received her B.S. from Cornell University and her Ph.D. in Evolutionary Anthropology from Duke University. She started at UVA in Spring 2020 and joined the Gibson Lab in Summer 2021. Caroline uses theoretical and experimental approaches to study the evolution and ecology of parasite avoidance. cra2z at virginia dot edu, website

Irish Amundson is a PhD student in the Biology Department. She received her B.A. in Biology from Amherst College in 2019. She joined the lab in the Fall of 2021, where she is continuing her study of the evolution of host-parasite interactions, particularly the dynamics of disease transmission. eym8um at virginia dot edu

Tessa Batterton is a research technician in the lab. She received her B.S. in Animal and Poultry Science from Virginia Tech, where she also explored honeybee waggle dance communication. She joined the lab in 2023 and is interested in host/parasite relationships and behavior. mpf8fj at virginia dot edu

Louis Bubrig is a PhD Student in the Biology Department. He received his master’s degree in biology from the University of Alabama where he worked on nematode dormant stage recovery. He joined the Gibson lab in Summer 2020 and plans to continue working on very small organisms and their complex strategies for survival and social interaction. ltb4pv at virginia dot edu, website

Neha Channamraju is an undergraduate in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Biology and minoring in Data Science. She joined the Gibson Lab in Fall 2023 and is interested in researching the genetic basis for the evolution of biodiversity, specifically through interspecific interactions. jqa4bc at virginia dot edu

Schubin Chon is an undergraduate in the College of Arts and Sciences planning on majoring in Biology. Schubin joined the lab in January of 2022 and is extremely interested in studying coevolution in host/parasite interactions! stn4bx at virginia dot edu

Ean Huang is an undergraduate majoring in Biology. He joined the Gibson lab in Fall of 2023 and is interested in studying genetics and how diseases evolve.
hxk8ck at virginia dot edu

Juliana Jiranek is a PhD student in the Biology Department. She received her B.A. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University, where she wrote her senior thesis on the role of climate in the epidemiological dynamics of plant pathogens. She joined the Gibson Lab in Fall 2020 and is currently using experimental and theoretical methods to explore how environmental quality drives the evolution of resistance to parasites.
jaj3sr at virginia dot edu

Andreas Kamali is a fourth year biology major and is pursuing a career in medicine. He joined the Gibson Lab in Spring of 2022. He is fascinated by many different topics within biology but his research focuses particularly on host-parasite interactions.
aak8tt at virginia dot edu

Adianna Lockwood-Shabat is an undergraduate in the College of Arts and Sciences studying Biology. She joined the Gibson Lab in Spring of 2022. She is interested in studying infectious disease and drug resistance, and is planning to pursue a career in research. She is excited to learn about host/parasite relationships!
cwt6jk at virginia dot edu

Linyao Peng is a postdoctoral research associate. She received her Ph.D. in Biology from Drexel University studying within-host symbiont interactions. She joined the lab in Summer 2022 and will be working on the context-dependent genetic basis of parasite resistance. She is particularly interested in combining molecular techniques with experimental evolution to study the genotype x genotype association between hosts and parasites under environmental contexts. kqq8ng at virginia dot edu

Abbey Ramirez is a PhD Student in the biology department. She got her M.S. at Northeastern State University in Oklahoma where she studied migratory patterns and capture efficiency of the northern saw-whet owl. She joined the lab in the Summer of 2021 and is interested in studying host/parasite relationships – particularly coevolution.
jsx6hx at virginia dot edu

Erin Scott is a Ph.D. student in the Biology Department, co-advised by Mandy Gibson and Butch Brodie. She received her B.A. in Biology from Davidson College in 2020. She joined the lab Fall of 2022, and she is interested in how coevolution between arthropods and their gut microbiomes influences habitat choice.
avg6kb at virginia dot edu 
photo credit: Jannatul Pramanik

Sarah Talley is a UVA undergraduate majoring in Biology and Global Public Health. She joined the lab in summer 2022 and is interested in the cellular mechanisms and genetic background of infectious diseases and host/parasite interactions. skt7yd at virginia dot edu

Lab alumni

Postdocs

Fabiane Mundim – fall 2019 to summer 2022. Assistant Professor at Utah State University

Technicians

Sarah Hesse – fall 2020 to summer 2023. In law school at the Georgia State College of Law

Anne Janisch – winter 2019 to summer 2022; graduate student in Cytology at the Mayo Clinic

Undergraduates

Simran Budhwar– spring 2019 to spring 2020.

Victoria Feist – summer 2021 to summer 2023. Lab Technician at UPenn

Emma Kirschke – fall 2019 to spring 2021. At the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine starting fall 2021

Donna McNeill – summer 2019

Ally Motter – spring 2020 to spring 2022. NIH IRTA at the National Human Genome Research Institute

Anna Nguyen – spring 2019 to spring 2021. At the UCSF School of Dentistry starting fall 2021

Akosua Odei – fall 2020 to December 2021. Off to medical school in 2023!

Jai Singh – fall 2021 to fall 2022.

Leila Shepard – fall 2021 to summer 2023. WOOFing in Canada?

Talia Sol – spring 2022 through spring 2023. Pursuing a Masters in Speech Pathology and running her small business Sol Thrift!

Emily Tillet – summer 2019 to spring 2021. At Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health starting fall 2021

Sophie Wong – summer 2019 to spring 2022. Figuring out her next steps while staying in Charlottesville this summer!