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​Daniela Palmer Droguett, PhD (she/her)
Office: ERB 428
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I am an evolutionary biologist, and I study the evolution and ecology of sexual biodiversity.

Previously, I was a postdoctoral fellow in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior at Michigan State University. Before MSU, I was an NSF postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences at the University of Sheffield.

You can find my CV here.
Feel free to email me at [email protected]. 

Satabdi Mandal 
PhD student

I am broadly interested in sexual selection, evolution of traits, adaptation, and biodiversity. For my masters, at Centre for Ecological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru (Bangalore), I performed a study correlating activity to aggression during intrasexual competition in Psammophilus dorsalis lizards, trying to broadly recognize the co-evolution of traits. As a PhD student in the Palmer lab, I aspire to learn more about the evolution of sexual diversity in treehoppers, and what ecological factors might be contributing towards this diversity. I wish to apply this knowledge later in my career, to understand how the dynamic nature of sex chromosomes affects mating strategies in various taxa. 
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When not working, you can find me talking about queer and caste minorities in India, learning more about the history of the global south and collecting stories. 

​Sukanya Samaddar 
PhD student
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I am interested in exploring the intersection of genetics, sexual selection, and evolution. I have a strong interest in understanding how genetic variation influences reproductive strategies and adaptation. After my masters, I worked at the Centre for Ecological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India. I was broadly interested in animal behavior and life-history trait evolution. I studied the effect of predation on the early life stages of Aedes aegypti. During my PhD journey in the Palmer Lab, I will be working on the evolution of sex chromosomes in treehoppers. I am eager to learn about the evolutionary mechanisms that balance gene expression between sexes and the factors that contribute towards their diversity. I am eager to contribute to integrative research bridging molecular genetics and evolutionary biology.

​Oscar Cardenas
Rotation PhD student

Shreeya Nagarajan
Undergraduate student

Ivan Ramos
Undergraduate student

(profiles coming soon)

Former lab members

Pablo Lopez - Lab technician
Saima Akhter - Rotation PhD student
Chinonyerem Obiakonwa – Undergraduate student
Mary Kumah – Undergraduate student 
Nandi Zulu – Undergraduate student 

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