Current Members
PhD: Luis Cueto
Luis studied biology at the University of San Agustin of Arequipa, Peru. He has participated in many ornithological expeditions in Peru, and has been part of several conservation efforts in the Peruvian Amazon. Luis studies the effects of habitat contractions/expansions driven by the glacial cycles of the Pleistocene at a genetic level in bird populations. He uses tools such as Species Distribution Models (SDMs) and Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to assess genetic diversity in a historical context of two avian groups, Longspurs (Calcariidae, a boreal family) and Wood-Wrens (Henicorhina, a Neotropical genus).
PhD: Dineesha Premathilake
Dineesha is broadly interested in macroecology and phylogeography. She studies the drivers of large-scale genetic patterns in Nearctic and Neotropical amphibians. Dineesha received her BS degree in Zoology from the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, and her MS degree from the University of Central Oklahoma. Prior to joining us at OU, she worked as a faculty (adjunct) in Biology Department at the University of Central Oklahoma.
Masters: Ethan Kelley
Ethan earned his BS here at the University of Oklahoma. He is interested in studying the effects of climatic shifts on insect chemical ecology and phylogeography.