Sean T Giery

People

 

People

 

Dr. Sean T. Giery, Assistant Professor: I received my Ph.D. from North Carolina State University before doing a postdoc at the University of Connecticut followed by three years as an Eberly Research Fellow at Pennsylvania State University. The core of my research explores the ecological origins and evolutionary consequences of diversity using a wide range of tools and approaches—from stable isotopes and genomic data to large-scale field experiments. When not at work I spend time outside my family.

 

Umair Ahmad, Ph.D. Student: Umair is a member the Miles Lab at OU. He has a BS and MS in Zoology from the University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Pakistan. His research investigates the impact of climate change and wildfires on host-parasite relationships. Umair brings expertise in molecular techniques, conservation, ecology, and multivariate analysis to the group. He’s directly contributing to several ongoing projects and training undergraduates in molecular techniques. In addition to receiving several academic fellowships, he recently received the BIOS Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, and serves as Vice President of the BIOS Graduate Society.

 

Emma Sielski, Undergraduate Research Assistant: Emma is a sophomore majoring in Biological Sciences. Her current work in the Giery lab includes extracting, quantifying, and assessing genomic DNA from tissue samples. Outside of the lab, Emma holds several leadership positions including Director of Public Relations for Ohio University's chapter of the National Biological Honors Society, and Vice President of Phone a Friend. Emma has also won a spot in the OU’s Diabetes Institute Summer Interprofessional Research Experience (DISIRE). There she’ll be expanding her research skills and advancing towards a career in research.

 

Ellie Faber, Undergraduate Researcher: Ellie is an undergraduate student in the Honors Tutorial College at OU. In summer 2024 she’ll be leading a new project to characterize the ectoparasite community of Common Wall lizards in Cincinnati, Ohio. Stay tuned!

 

James Watson, Undergraduate Researcher: Primarily interested in tropical ecology and conservation, James is now a MS student studying False Gharial in Malaysia with Dr. Indraneil Das!! Before that, James spent his senior year at Appalachian State University conducting a mesocosm experiment investigating growth and survival differences among spotted salamander color morphs.

 

Mister Bug, Assistant to the Professor: Founding member of the Giery lab. Enthusiastic about vertebrates…and worms. He’s also skilled at finding salamanders and reasons to delay bedtime.

 

Join Us!

Postdoctoral Fellows: I am happy to work with prospective postdocs to apply for funding. Several programs provide postdoctoral opportunities, such as the National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (PRFB). We have access to tissue and large datasets that would be an excellent foundation for a NSF fellowship proposal investigating: Integrative Research Investigating the Rules of Life Governing Interactions Between Genomes, Environment and Phenotypes.

Undergraduate Students: Primary roles for undergraduate researchers will be to assist with graduate student and postdoc projects, and conduct independent research. Students can receive course credit for participating in research and there are several opportunities to apply for funding to conduct research over the summer. We will be recruiting undergraduate researchers starting Fall 2023 to help with several ongoing projects. Please send Dr. Giery an email (giery [at] ohio.edu) with a brief description of why you are interested in joining the lab. 

We have three paid undergraduate research positions for Summer 2024 as well as Fall ‘24 and Spring ‘25 semesters. These are funded through the Program to Aid Career Exploration (PACE) program and are available for Ohio University undergraduates only. For more information follow the link to the PACE program website https://www.ohio.edu/financial-aid/types/employment/pace and review the position details here.

Graduate Students: It’s not too early to start planning for Fall 2025—especially if you’re interested in developing an NSF GRFP Proposal. Research topics are flexible but would preferably build on the lab's existing research themes and study systems (vernal pond amphibians in the eastern US, and Anolis lizards in the Caribbean). Competitive applicants will share a broad interest in evolutionary ecology and have prior research experience in the field or lab. All students admitted to the program are guaranteed assistantships ($18-23k/year) that come from a combination of teaching and other assistantships. Reach out at giery [at] ohio.edu with any questions.

Additional Resources: