School of Humanities and Sciences
Showing 1-10 of 11 Results
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Dane Kawano
Ph.D. Student in Biology, admitted Autumn 2019
BioBorn and raised in Hawaii. Moved to Seattle, WA to study biology and biochemistry at the University of Washington. After graduating, I moved to Bethesda, MD to work at the NIH as an IRTA fellow. Currently in the Shen Lab studying microtubule biology in C. elegans neurons
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Joe Kesler
Ph.D. Student in Biology, admitted Autumn 2024
BioI am a Ph.D. student studying evolutionary ecology and biogeography in the Daru Lab. My research focuses on how plants adapt to changing environments across temporal and spatial scales. My current project integrates biogeographic analyses and phylogenetic mapping to understand the evolutionary and ecological forces shaping plant traits and distributions.
In June 2023, I received a B.S. in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution from UC San Diego, where I worked primarily with Professor Elsa Cleland, researching the demography of the California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) and how its traits vary across different climates within the state. I also participated in two other labs, broadly investigating plant-pollinator interactions and plant genetics respectively. After graduating, I assisted the Green Biome Institute at CSU East Bay by collecting DNA samples of endangered California plant species, followed by work as a habitat restoration technician in wetland and grassland ecosystems in the San Francisco Bay Area.
In the Daru Lab, I am excited to continue investigating how plants respond to environmental changes over evolutionary timescales, with the ultimate goal of informing habitat restoration management and conserving biodiversity worldwide. -
Christopher Knight
Ph.D. Student in Biology, admitted Autumn 2019
BioChris (he/him) is a Biology PhD candidate, a Stanford Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellow, and a National Geographic Explorer. He employs a planetary health approach to understand the linkages between ecosystem and human health - with the goal of improving accessibility to safe and nutritious seafood. Chris investigates the social and ecological connections of ciguatera poisoning, a debilitating seafood-borne disease, across Kiribati in collaboration with the Kiribati Government and the Pacific Planetary Health Initiative. As a US Fulbright Fellow in Italy, he explores how climate change impacts the nutritional content of seafood and the potential consequences for human nutrition. Chris is deeply interested in environmental justice issues and is drawn to working on research questions and solutions that can improve the lives of others and minimize social and economic inequalities. Furthermore, he strives to foster an inclusive and welcoming community in academia. Chris was a NSF Graduate Research Fellow, a Fulbright Fellow to Chile, and earned a MS in Biology from San Diego State University, as well as a BA in both Ecology and Spanish from the University of California, Davis. Chris is co-advised by Dr. Larry Crowder and Dr. Fiorenza Micheli.