Catherine E. Wagner, PI
Katie is an evolutionary biologist with broad interests in processes of speciation and diversification. Her research uses population genetic, genomic, phylogenetic, and comparative methods to study diversification, from speciation processes to macroevolutionary patterns of biodiversity.
Katie received her BA in Biology and Geology from Whitman College, and her PhD from the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University. She did a postdoc with Ole Seehausen at EAWAG/University of Bern in Switzerland before joining the Biodiversity Institute and the Department of Botany at the University of Wyoming as an assistant professor in Fall 2015. She is the recipient of the 2015 Dobzhansky Prize from the Society for the Study of Evolution.
Will Rosenthal, PhD student
Will completed his MS in the Wagner lab at the University of Wyoming in 2021 after finishing a dual BS in Wildlife Studies and Genetics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 2018. His undergrad research project focused on genetics of invasive guppies in Hawaii. At the University of Wyoming, Will worked for his MS on the genetics of Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout and its hybridization with introduced rainbow trout. He used genomic data to understand the impacts of genetic ancestry on migration timing, mate choice decisions, and fecundity and survival in the wild. For his PhD, he is expanding in geographic scope and studying range wide patterns in genetic diversity and connectivity for Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout, as part of a large multi-state collaboration. His work is in close collaboration with Annika Walters’ lab.
Drew Suchomel, PhD student
Drew comes to the lab after completing an MS at Brigham Young University looking at the structure of a marine fish food web using stable isotopes. He is interested in integrating views on evolution and community assembly. He joins our NSF EPSCoR-funded STOICH Project.
Sam Johnson, MS student
Sam joins the lab with a background in marine systems from undergrad research focused on hammerhead sharks. He’s excited to be back in freshwater systems for his MS, which will focus on evaluating the efficacy of stocking in Wyoming sauger (Sander canadensis) using genetic parentage analysis. Sam is working closely with partners at the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Maria Paula Rodriguez Parada, MS student
Maria comes to US from Bogota, Colombia, where her undergraduate research focused on avian ecology and evolution. She is highly interested in the use of genomic methods in conservation applications. Her MS project will focus on using various genomic tools to understand population connectivity, diversity, and history in Yellowstone cutthroat trout of the Teton River, ID. Her project is in collaboration with Friends of the Teton River.
Rosebud, lab mascot
Rosebud joined the world and the lab in 2018, and is enthusiastically learning about ecology, evolution, and being a good puppy. You can follow her adventures here.
See what Lab Alumni are now up to here.
Wagner Lab 