Members of the lab
Dr. Sara Helms Cahan
Dr. Sara Helms Cahan is an evolutionary ecologist interested in how physical and social environments shape the evolution of organismal traits. Much of her research career has been spent investigating the causes and consequences of sociality in the ants that call the southwestern deserts their home, with more recent forays into the population genomics of insect disease vectors and the mechanisms and evolution of insect thermal tolerance.
She received her PhD in Zoology at Arizona State University, under the mentorship of Steve Rissing and Jennifer Fewell, with post-doctoral positions at Texas A&M University with S. Brad Vinson and at the University of Lausanne with Laurent Keller.
She is currently a Professor of Biology, the Howard Endowed Professor of Natural History, and the Curator of the Zadock Thompson Zoological Collections at the University of Vermont, where she has been on the faculty since 2004. She also holds the position of Associate Vice President for Research at UVM.
Staff
Katie Bora
I am from northern Vermont and have lived here my entire life. I went to Northern Vermont University at Johnson to study environmental science where I earned a Bachelor of Science degree. I have worked as the lab technician in the Helms Cahan lab for the last 7 years. I love my job! My greatest joy is working with undergraduate students as they navigate through project planning and data collection. I find science and nature fascinating and studying flies and ants is a great way to help us understand the dynamic and ever-changing natural world.
Undergraduate Students
Elliot Gere
I am a senior molecular genetics major from Kennebunkport, Maine.
I’m currently working on determining the effect of the transcription factor HmgZ on thermal acclimation in Drosophila melanogaster.
Outside of academics, I love walking with my dog, playing volleyball, and being active with friends.
Emma Privett
I am a Biology major, whose research interests include ichthyology, wildlife parasitology, and disease ecology. My current research focuses on Heterosporis, a microsporidian parasite impacting yellow perch in Lake Champlain. In my undergraduate work, I am documenting the baseline presence, severity, and species identity of Heterosporis. I will be beginning an Accelerated Masters in the lab next year, co-advised by Dr. Ellen Martinsen. In my master’s work, I hope to investigate the evolutionary origins and vectors of Heterosporis transmission in the lake.
Outside of the lab, I enjoy listening to local music and making YouTube videos.
Sof Antelo
My name is Sof and I am a second-year pursuing a BS in Neuroscience and an AMP in Biology. I’ve been working in the Helms Cahan lab since Fall’23 on a project examining the genetic mechanisms of queen social behavior in the ant Veromessor pergandei. I am interested in the neurobiological basis of behavior and cognition on the genetic, cellular, structural, pharmacological level. I’m hoping to be able to use this project for a master’s thesis in biology, and continue on to pursue a Ph.D in Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience to go into academia. Outside of science, I love to be outdoors especially snowboarding, hiking, and playing sports.
Savannah Parker
My name is Savannah Parker, and I am a senior undergraduate majoring in biological science. I am from Manchester, New Hampshire and I have loved every moment I’ve spent in Vermont. My passion for genetics was inspired by a course I took called The Genetics of Climate Change which taught me about the impact’s temperature change can have on gene expression. Currently in lab, I am working with Drosophila to see how the expression of box gene HmgZ responds to temperature shock. I am interested in researching genetic responses to temperature further as global warming continues to alter our environment.
Graduate Students
Ben Camber
I'm a fifth-year PhD candidate interested in the gruesome complexity of parasitoid wasp evolution. The goal of my work is to improve our understanding of the evolution and ecology underlying the incredible coevolution between parasitoids and hosts. Parasitoids have a notorious natural history in which they consume their host, often from within, as larvae and burst out when mature. My work combines field collections, species identification, laboratory manipulations, and computational analyses. I focus on uniquely extreme traits of parasitoid wasps to understand the patterns and limits of their evolution, including:
Their potentially extraordinary local biogeographical patterns,
The dynamics of host community structure,
Evolutionary arms races and the genetic architecture of host resistance.
Dan Munteanu
I am a second year PhD student in the Helms Cahan Lab and I am in the Quantitative and Evolutionary STEM Training (QuEST) Program. I am interested in studying thermal plasticity in Drosophila: how does exposure to different temperatures at various life stages affect animals’ response to temperature shock? My long-term goal is to study the mechanistic basis of complex ecological adaptations such as these at the level of the cell. I am also passionate about the climate and studying how humans affect the natural environment.
Alumni
Post-doctoral Scholars:
Dr. Yihong Zhou (2010-2013) worked on genetics of hybridization in Pogonomyrmex harvester ants. She ultimately to a career in clinical health sciences.
Dr. John Stanton-Geddes (2013-2014) was co-mentored by Dr. Nick Gotelli, working on genetic mechanisms of temperature tolerance in forest ants. Dr. Stanton-Geddes is a Data Analyst at Dealer.com.
Graduate Students:
Dr. Heather Axen (PhD student, graduated 2011) studied the ecology of interspecific hybridization in the ant genus Solenopsis. Until June 2024, she was an Associate Professor at Salve Regina University in Newport, RI, and we continue to collaborate.
Dr. Fernando Gelin (PhD student, graduated 2014) studied the systematics of swarm-founding neotropical wasps. He currently works as a Senior Frontend Engineer at XPlorer Technologies.
Dr. Michael Herrmann (PhD student, graduated 2016) studied sexual conflict and chemical communication in harvester ants. Dr. Herrmann is a research scientist with the Environmental Protection Agency..
Dr. Andrew Nguyen (PhD student co-advised by Nicholas Gotelli, graduated 2017) was co-advised by Dr, Nick Gotelli. He studied acclimation and adaptation to thermal stress in the ant genus Aphaenogaster. He is a biostatistician at the Orlando Health Cancer Institute.
Dr. Lucia Orantes (PhD student co-advised by Kimberly Wallin, graduated 2017) was co-advised by Dr. Kimberly Wallin and received her PhD in Natural Resources. She studied population genomics of the insect vector of Chagas disease. Dr. Orantes is the Coordinator for the Vermont Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring system in the Division of Health Statistics and Informatics at the VT Dept of Health.
Trevor Manendo (MS student, graduated 2008) studied phylogenetic relatonships in the ant genus Lasius. He is an Academic Transitional Support Specialist with the Columbus City Schools in Columbus, OH.
Yainna Hall (MS student, graduated 2015) worked on host-pathogen interactions within social insect colonies. She joined the Air National Guard in 2021.
Katie Miller (MS student, graduated 2018) worked on elemental stoichiometry of social insect colonies across latitudinal and nutritional gradients. She received an NSF GRFP in 2016. Katie is a Customer Trainer for Business and Education at Microsoft.
Jessica Cole (MS student, graduated 2022) was co-advised by Dr. Alison Brody. She worked on the risks of indirect pesticide exposure for insect pollinators. She received a USDA-SARE grant ($14,881) to support her work. Jessica is now a professional undergraduate advisor at UVM in the Rubenstein School.
Jacob Sorrentino (MS student, graduated 2023) completed both an undergraduate Honors thesis and MS in the lab. For his Masters, he studied the population genetic effects of urban habitat fragmentation on native and invasive ant species. He received a Biology Department Wheeler award ($1000) to support his work. Jacob is currently a Field Technician with Dr. Ed LeBrun at the Brackenridge Field Station in Austin, TX.
Undergraduates:
Kevin O’Connor (2005-2007)
Andrew Menke (2006)
Julie Dao (2006)
Kyle Palmer (2006-2007)
Amanda Daly (2006-2007)
Nicole Devanny (2006-2007)
Carly Brown (2007)
Christopher Graves (2007-2008)
Chapin Clarke (2007-2008)
Jennifer Glenister (2008-2009)
Erin Hayes-Pontius (2008-2009)
Lindsay Williams (2008)
Katharine Hopkins (2009-2010)
Laura Pickrell (2010)
Pace Goodman (2008-2009)
Amanda Wildermuth (2010-2011)
Christine Lanoue (2010-2011)
Will Heddon (2010-2011)
Corrie Wilcox (2010-2011)
Jack Fisher (2010-2011)
Amanda Northrop (2011-2012)
Eliza Gardner-Morse (2011-2012)
Jen Grauer (2011-2012)
Brian Mulcahy (2011-2012)
Laurel Schuster (2013-2015)
Sienna Weinstein (2013-2014)
Amanda Meyer (2013-2014)
Grace Cosgrove (2013-2014)
Teddy Herriman (2013-2014)
Austin Sherburne (2013-2015)
Jeremy Pustilik (2013-2014)
Rachel Fredericksen (2013-2014)
Kerry Pinder (2014)
Rachel Mellen (2014-2016)
Courtney Hay (2014-2015)
Bonnie Kelley (2014-2015)
Curtis Provencher (2014-2015)
Megna Senthilnathan (2014-2015)
Delaney Smith (2014-2015)
Kyler Mose (2015-2016)
Julia Cline (2016-2018)
Kit LeFevre (2018-2019)
Nawar Kareem (2018-2019)
Jhanavi Kapadia (2018-2019)
Eileen Brickell (2018-2019)
Emma Gagne (2018-2019)
Vanessa Yolen (2018-2019)
Marina Cannon (2018-2019)
Matthew Hammer (2018-2019)
Amara Chittenden (2018-2019)
Angela Maloney (2018-2020)
Jessica Wright (2018-2021)
Michael Sofio (2019-2021)
Andrew Stoloff (2019-2021)
Isabel Kaplan (2020-2021)
Meg Hall (2020-2021)
Avery Holmes (2020-2023)
Emily Bernhardt (2020-2021)
Collin Brown (2021-2022)
Caela Flanagan (2020-2023)
Justin Coudert (2022)
Caleb Weinstein (2022-2023)
Hadley Wilson (2023)
Staff:
Beck Powers (2018-2020)