Lab Members
Charles Criscione
Professor
PhD: Biology, Oregon State University (2005)
MS: Biology, Southeastern Louisiana University (2000)
BS: Zoology, Louisiana State University (1995)
I examine fundamental ecological and evolutionary questions in parasite systems and consider my research to be at the interface of ecology, evolution, and genetics. Parasitology provides a rich subject area for studies of ecology and evolutionary biology. Numerous topics such as ecosystem dynamics, mating systems, or coevolution can be addressed because parasites are extremely diverse. By diversity, I include not only the myriad of taxa that have independently evolved a parasitic lifestyle, but also the diversity in life cycles, modes of reproduction, host species, and ecosystems utilized by parasites. This diversity also allows for comparative studies to address theories or unifying principles that span ecosystems or taxonomic groups. Furthermore, there are many practical applications such as studying the evolution of drug resistance, or using parasite community structure to assess “ecosystem health”. My research interests address both basic and applied questions, and span three overlapping subject areas: 1) Evolution: Population Genetics, Mating Systems, and Molecular Epidemiology, 2) Ecology: Biodiversity, Conservation, and Natural History, and 3) Genetics and Ecological Genomics.
Jenna Hulke
Graduate Student
PhD: Texas A&M University, In Progress
BS: University of Wisconsin Stevens Point
Jenna is a PhD student researching the population genetics of parasite mating systems. After graduating from University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, she studied visceral Leishmania in India before becoming a Project Manager for University of California Santa Barbara, looking at the aggregation of parasites at water holes in Kenya. She is interested in the evolutionary consequences of life cycle variations as well as chromosome diversification of parasites. Jenna joined the lab in January 2019.
Chelsea Thorn
Graduate Student
PhD: Biology, Texas A&M University, In Progress
MS: Biology, Sam Houston State University
BS: Biology, Sam Houston State University
Chelsea is a PhD student in the Criscione Lab investigating population genomics, host-parasite coevolution, and gene expression of parasitic flatworms. She started at TAMU in Fall 2021 after completing her MS in Biology at Sam Houston State University. Her master’s research focused on parasite communities of alligator and spotted gar in brackish water habitats on the Texas coast. She joined the Criscione Lab in January of 2022, where her current research focuses on the development of genomic resources for the gecko tapeworm Oochoristica javaensis.
Former Members
Postdocs
Isabel Caballero
Postdoctoral Researcher 2013-2017
» Currently Administrative coordinator and Outreach Chair for the Genetics and Genomics Interdisciplinary Degree Program at TAMU
Jillian Detwiler
Postdoctoral Researcher 2010-2013
» Currently an Associate Professor at the University of Manitoba, Department of Biological Sciences.
Graduate Students
Mary Janecka
PhD Student 2011-2019
» Currently NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Pittsburg
Andrew Sakla
Master’s Student 2014-2018
» Currently a Research Associate at UT Southwestern in Dallas
Emily Kasl
PhD Student 2009-2016
» Currently an Assistant Professor at the University of North Alabama, Department of Biological Sciences.
Undergraduates
Kwadwo Owusu
Undergraduate Researcher 2010-11; Currently employed as an analyst for TXU Energy
» Population genetics of an invasive gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus).
» Presented at the 9th Annual Pathways Student Research Symposium
» First author on a research note in Conservation Genetics Resources.
Erika Medina
Undergraduate Researcher 2011-13
» Population genetics of an invasive gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus).
Nick Stokes
Undergraduate Researcher 2013-14
» Elucidation of trematode life cycles using molecular markers on field collected specimens.