our team
eva k fischer
principal investigator
ekfischer@ucdavis.edu
she/her
Eva is a brain, behavior, and baked good enthusiast. The science questions that keep Eva up at night these days are how best to understand behavior across levels of biological organization and whether cell types are really a thing. Following in the footsteps of her PhD advisor, Eva’s mentoring strategy includes increasing lab morale and productivity through intermittent food reward.
favorite lab item? the amazing people in the lab (aka the LABradors)
number of plants in your house? 42
what bird are you? crow
NOTE: “what bird are you?” brought to you by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Bird Quiz
cameron badger
lab manager, aka fairy frog parent
cambadger@ucdavis.edu
they/them
Cameron is fascinated by the neural mechanisms that shape social behavior—because let’s be honest, brains are weird, and frogs are even weirder. When not wrangling data or pondering the mysteries of social interactions, Cameron can be found scaling cliffs, trekking through the wilderness, or attempting to sew their way out of any wardrobe-related crisis. In the evenings, they swap the lab coat for dance shoes, indulging in fusion dance as a social experiment (purely scientific, of course).
favorite lab item? sphagnum moss
number of plants in your house? 17
what bird are you? yellow-billed magpie
melina acosta
postdoctoral fellow
macosta@ucdavis.edu
she/her
Melina completed her PhD studying the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the onset of paternal behavior in the biparental California mouse. She is interested in using a comparative approach to explore the neurobiological mechanisms that regulate similar social behaviors across different species, as well as those that govern distinct behaviors between sexes within a species. When not in the lab, Melina likes to hike, bake, try new food, travel, and snuggle her cat.
favorite lab item? serological pipette bulb
number of plants in your house? 2
what bird are you? red-tailed hawk
hannah justen
postdoctoral fellow
hjusten@ucdavis.edu
she/her
Hannah completed her PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology studying the genomics of migratory behavior, hybridization and speciation in birds. In the Fischer lab she is working on aggressive behavior of tadpoles, combining genomics and neuroscience tools for a more comeplete understaning of biological basis of this behavior. In her free time Hannah can be found running or going for a walk with friends. Learn more at hannahjusten.de.
favorite lab item? tadpole fram
number of plants in your house? 5
what bird are you? yellow-filled magpie
yi-ting fang
graduate student
ytfang@ucdavis.edu
she/her
coming soon!
favorite lab item? coming soon!
number of plants in your house? coming soon!
what bird are you? coming soon!
brandon kong
graduate student
brkong@ucdavis.edu
he/him
Brandon worked on salamander conservation genetics and squamate reptile physiology while completing his B.S. and M.S. programs. In the Fischer Lab, he hopes to study the levels of convergent evolution (from behavior to molecules) in amphibian parental care. In his ‘free’ time, he can be found searching for amphibians and reptiles in the wild, reading a good (usually non-fiction) book, or taking his family on hikes.
favorite lab item? frogs and the orc mace (aka, fruit fly media mixer)
number of plants in your house? 5
what bird are you? raven
lisa surber-cunningham
graduate student
lsurber2@illinois.edu
she/her
Lisa is a PhD student in the Fischer lab. She studies phenotypic plasticity in poison frog tadpoles. When she is not in the lab (or in the middle of a pandemic) she likes to do judo, play soccer, and annoy her dog with the ukulele. Learn more at lisalsurber.mystrikingly.com.
favorite lab item? automatic pipettes
number of plants in your house? 4
what bird are you? american kestrel
lucas jimenez
undergraduate student
lucassj2@illinois.edu
he/him
Lucas is a sophomore majoring in Integrative Biology with an honors concentration and with Chemistry as a second major while minoring in Psychology. He is very curious and loves to ask questions portraying to anything that crosses his mind. He loves to weight lift and play with his two doggies, Max and Coco. For a fun-fact, he has built his own PC.
favorite lab item? the tadpoles and the frogs
number of plants in your house? 1 fake plant
what bird are you? crow
isabella strohmeier
undergraduate student
istroh2@illinois.edu
she/her
Isabella is a junior majoring in Integrative biology and minoring in Latino studies. She is interested in animal behavior and is currently researching maternal aggression with the dendrodates tinctorious. in her free time she loves to cook, journal, and hang out with friends.
favorite lab item? power pipette
number of plants in your house? 40
what bird are you? red-tailed hawk
lab alumni
(gone, but not forgotten)
harmen alleyne - undergraduate 2020 - 2023, now deciding what’s next
faith hardin - graduate student 2021 - 2023, now Wetland Project Manager at the O’Connor Center for the Rock Mountain West (housed at the University of Montana)
katie julkowski - lab manager 2020 - 2023, now Project Manger at BEAT Cancer Initiative in Champaign-Urbana, IL
katherine klugman - undergrad 2023, now finishing BA
holiday maag - lab manager 2023 - 2024, now lab manager in Marks Lab at UIUC
olivia marsden - undergraduate 2022 - 2024, now finishing BA
jen moss - postdoc 2021 - 2023, now Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech
samta oza - undergraduate researcher, summer 2021, now at UC Davis
thomas parrish - undergraduate 2023 - 2023, soon to be in med school
molly podraza - undergraduate/graduate 2021 - 2023, now an intern at the brookfield zoo in Chicago, IL
halle santiago - undergraduate 2021 - 2023, now finishing BA
kat soto - masters student 2021 - 2023, currently planning her next bold move
emily terrill - masters student 2021 - 2024, currently working on K-12 science education and expanding “frogs in class”
abby stevenson - undergraduate 2021 - 2023, now finishing BA
sarah westrick - postdoc 2020 - 2024, now Assistant Professor at Wake Forest University