top of page

Principal Investigator
 
Haruka Wada, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University


Research Interests: Stress physiology, effects of stress during development on behavior and physiology, cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying stress phenotype

 
email

00100dPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20190911150757
IMG_1356.jpg
Cara.jpg
00100dPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20180830161202
Kayci Messerly.PNG
IMG_1358.jpg
IMG_1836.jpg
Thalia Williamson.jpg

Current graduate student

 

 

 

Wonil Choi, PhD student

Research interests: Physiology, embryology, and immunology

Wonil has a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences and he is currently studying the effects of hypoxic and heat stresses on embryonic development on zebra finches. 

Email

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tori Coutts, PhD student

Research interests: Nutritional stress, gene expression, epigenetics

Tori is broadly interested in phenotypic plasticity and how animals respond to environmental changes. Using poor nutrition as a stressor, Tori is investigating how zebra finches respond behaviorally and physiologically, and the genetic mechanisms behind these responses.

 

 

Email

 

 

 

 

Cara Brittain, PhD student

 

Research interests: Conservation ecology and ecotoxicology

Cara is interested in the effects of environmental contaminants on animal behavior and physiology and the implications of these effects in conservation. Cara is studying effects of methylmercury on spatial memory and neural physiology in songbirds.

 

Email

 

Alex Hoffman, PhD student

 

Research interests: Stress physiology, ecophysiology

 

Alex is interested in stress induced adaptive responses and their underlying mechanisms. Specifically he is studying the direct effects of heat stress on developing zebra finches, as well as the indirect effects on the phenotype of their offspring. 

Email

 

Kayci Messerly, PhD student

 

Research interests: stress physiology, heat stress, gene expression, epigenetics

 

Kayci earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee in ecology and evolutionary biology with a minor in statistics. Her research interest is focused on how environmental stressors such as heat affects physiological mechanisms, gene expression, and the heritability of these effects.

 

Email

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kevin Pham, PhD student

 

Research interests: Ecophysiology, stress physiology, neuroendocrinology, ecotoxicology

Kevin is broadly interested in environmental stressors and how animals modulate their physiology and behavior to combat these perturbations to maintain individual health and fitness. Currently, he is investigating the effect of continuous light on zebra finch stress physiology, oxidative stress, and behavior. 

Email

 

James Utt, PhD student

 

Research interests: Stress physiology, animal behavior, and urban ecology

James is interested in how different anthropogenic stressors affect animal behavior and physiology and the implications of these effects on urbanization and human development.

Email

 

 

Thalia Williamson, PhD student

 

Research interests: stress physiology, immunology, embryology & ecotoxicology

Thalia is broadly interested in understanding how organisms cope with stressors and the fitness consequences that occur in response to these coping mechanisms.

Email

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current undergraduate researcher

 

 

 

Wada Lab Alumni

Leslie Dees, Graduated from Auburn High School (2019)
Sejal Srivastava, Graduated from Auburn High School (2020)
Alex Rubin, M.S. (2019)
Shelby Still, M.S. (2019)
Madeline Choi, M.S. (2022)

2022 Graduate students of the Wada Lab

IMG_9475.jpg
bottom of page