2022 Elections: Pan-American Society for Evolutionary Developmental Biology
Below, please find the positions up for election and the candidate information for each position. Nominees are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
Place your votes by clicking here!
Place your votes by clicking here!
President-Elect
* Leslie Pick
University of Maryland, College Park (USA)
I am Professor and Chair of the Entomology Department at the University of Maryland and a member of PASEDB since its inception. Trained as a Drosophila molecular geneticist, my lab has spent the past 15 years examining the functional evolution of regulatory genes in diverse insect species. As a researcher and educator, and as part of a strong Evo-Devo group at the University of Maryland, I promote the importance of Evo-Devo research and of critical thinking to colleagues, students and the general public. I have taken on several administrative roles over the years, including graduate director and department chair. In these roles, I have honed my organization skills and fostered inclusive governance and engagement at all levels. My goal as President would be to would be to advance the field of Evo-Devo, the careers of individuals in the society, and to join with other scientific societies in promoting the importance of evidence-based policy.
Treasurer
* Christina Zakas
North Carolina State University (USA)
I am an Assistant Professor in Biological Sciences at North Carolina State University. I use a marine annelid to research the genetic basis of evolutionary transitions in development. In addition to my research, I promote Evo-Devo by teaching it at both the undergraduate and graduate level. PASEDB has been a supportive society for interdisciplinary research and emerging models, so I am happy to stand for treasurer and help advance the Evo-Devo community.
Educational & Professional Training Officer
* Patricia Schneider
Louisiana State University (USA)
I have been part of the PASEDB since its inaugural meeting in Berkeley and I would be thrilled to continue to contribute to the Evo-devo community as the educational and professional training officer. I am a geneticist with background in developmental biology and special interest in neurobiology and evolution of developmental processes. I started my career as an assistant professor in Brazil (2012-2020), where I used non-traditional vertebrate models to unravel mechanisms of morphological and genetic novelties with particular attention to the vertebrate eye. In 2021, I relocated my lab to the Louisiana State University (LSU) and will continue to unravel the mysteries of the visual system. Currently, my primary research interest is to study evolutionary innovations of the visual system, using the four-eyed fish Anableps anableps as a research species. Anableps consists in a unique model to study the developmental and genetic bases of evolutionary novelty. At PASEB, I want to establish initiatives to with the goal to provide resources, facilitate communication, and foster connections to support the personal and professional development of students and postdoctoral trainees.
Communications & Web Officer
* Mark Rebeiz
University of Pittsburgh (USA)
It is a pleasure to volunteer to help the PASEDB with Communications and Website management. I believe in the power of community to help us all improve in our research efforts, bring us together, and support each other. The role as website/communications manager would be a great way for me to contribute to this wonderful community by lending some of the unique skills I have in my toolbox. Since 2002, I have curated a website and software tool for genome sequence visualization (www.genepalette.org). Although I'm not a web developer, I have always been handy with internet/web/programming tasks, and would be honored to donate these skills to a cause I deeply believe in.
Membership & Registration Officer
* Frank Smith
University of North Florida (USA)
I am an Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at the University of North Florida. My research compares development of tardigrades to arthropods and other animals to unravel the evolution of animal body plans. I am currently coming to the end of my tenure as the Treasurer of this Society. I would be honored to receive the opportunity to continue to serve the Society as the Membership and Registration Officer.
Trainee Representative
* Anyi Mazo-Vargas
George Washington University (USA)
I am happy to stand for election. As a trainee representative, I hope to lead and facilitate efforts to engage students and postdoctoral researchers, foster network opportunities in an inclusive environment, and provide resources and mentoring prospects to support the transitions from undergraduate to graduate school and Ph.D. to postdoctoral level. As a first-year Ph.D. student, I attended the Pan-American Society for Evolutionary Biology meeting in Berkley. Since then, this community has been fundamental to sharing and getting feedback on my work, and I am ready to support this community's efforts. I am originally from Cali, Colombia, where I obtained my bachelor's degree at Universidad del Valle, followed by a Master's at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. I started my research work in the function and regulation of genes related to butterflies' color patterns development and evolution at the Reed laboratory at Cornell University. Currently, I am a postdoctoral Ford Foundation fellow at the Martin laboratory at George Washington University, expanding my EvoDevo research in Lepidoptera.
* Joshua R. York
Northwestern University (USA)
I am a Life Sciences Research Foundation postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University in Dr. Carole LaBonne’s lab. I earned my BS and MS in Ecology from the University of Central Oklahoma and Ph.D in Biology at the University of Oklahoma where my research focused on deciphering the evolutionary origins of vertebrate neural crest cells using lamprey as a model system. My postdoctoral work centers on using genomics and other approaches to shed light on the gene regulatory basis for stem cell pluripotency in vertebrates and how this influenced the origins of neural crest stem cells. This work uses Xenopus, axolotl and lamprey. I am very interested in promoting and growing Evo-Devo research. The Pan-American Society for Evolutionary Developmental Biology stands out as one of the only societies where the Evo-Devo field can come together to discuss and collaborate on a wide range of fascinating evolutionary questions. My goal is to further expand the base of postdocs and graduate students that are interested in exploring the interface of development and evolution. I hope to do this by developing opportunities for career training and workshops and creating a diverse and inclusive environment for everyone passionate about Evo-Devo.
* Leslie Pick
University of Maryland, College Park (USA)
I am Professor and Chair of the Entomology Department at the University of Maryland and a member of PASEDB since its inception. Trained as a Drosophila molecular geneticist, my lab has spent the past 15 years examining the functional evolution of regulatory genes in diverse insect species. As a researcher and educator, and as part of a strong Evo-Devo group at the University of Maryland, I promote the importance of Evo-Devo research and of critical thinking to colleagues, students and the general public. I have taken on several administrative roles over the years, including graduate director and department chair. In these roles, I have honed my organization skills and fostered inclusive governance and engagement at all levels. My goal as President would be to would be to advance the field of Evo-Devo, the careers of individuals in the society, and to join with other scientific societies in promoting the importance of evidence-based policy.
Treasurer
* Christina Zakas
North Carolina State University (USA)
I am an Assistant Professor in Biological Sciences at North Carolina State University. I use a marine annelid to research the genetic basis of evolutionary transitions in development. In addition to my research, I promote Evo-Devo by teaching it at both the undergraduate and graduate level. PASEDB has been a supportive society for interdisciplinary research and emerging models, so I am happy to stand for treasurer and help advance the Evo-Devo community.
Educational & Professional Training Officer
* Patricia Schneider
Louisiana State University (USA)
I have been part of the PASEDB since its inaugural meeting in Berkeley and I would be thrilled to continue to contribute to the Evo-devo community as the educational and professional training officer. I am a geneticist with background in developmental biology and special interest in neurobiology and evolution of developmental processes. I started my career as an assistant professor in Brazil (2012-2020), where I used non-traditional vertebrate models to unravel mechanisms of morphological and genetic novelties with particular attention to the vertebrate eye. In 2021, I relocated my lab to the Louisiana State University (LSU) and will continue to unravel the mysteries of the visual system. Currently, my primary research interest is to study evolutionary innovations of the visual system, using the four-eyed fish Anableps anableps as a research species. Anableps consists in a unique model to study the developmental and genetic bases of evolutionary novelty. At PASEB, I want to establish initiatives to with the goal to provide resources, facilitate communication, and foster connections to support the personal and professional development of students and postdoctoral trainees.
Communications & Web Officer
* Mark Rebeiz
University of Pittsburgh (USA)
It is a pleasure to volunteer to help the PASEDB with Communications and Website management. I believe in the power of community to help us all improve in our research efforts, bring us together, and support each other. The role as website/communications manager would be a great way for me to contribute to this wonderful community by lending some of the unique skills I have in my toolbox. Since 2002, I have curated a website and software tool for genome sequence visualization (www.genepalette.org). Although I'm not a web developer, I have always been handy with internet/web/programming tasks, and would be honored to donate these skills to a cause I deeply believe in.
Membership & Registration Officer
* Frank Smith
University of North Florida (USA)
I am an Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at the University of North Florida. My research compares development of tardigrades to arthropods and other animals to unravel the evolution of animal body plans. I am currently coming to the end of my tenure as the Treasurer of this Society. I would be honored to receive the opportunity to continue to serve the Society as the Membership and Registration Officer.
Trainee Representative
* Anyi Mazo-Vargas
George Washington University (USA)
I am happy to stand for election. As a trainee representative, I hope to lead and facilitate efforts to engage students and postdoctoral researchers, foster network opportunities in an inclusive environment, and provide resources and mentoring prospects to support the transitions from undergraduate to graduate school and Ph.D. to postdoctoral level. As a first-year Ph.D. student, I attended the Pan-American Society for Evolutionary Biology meeting in Berkley. Since then, this community has been fundamental to sharing and getting feedback on my work, and I am ready to support this community's efforts. I am originally from Cali, Colombia, where I obtained my bachelor's degree at Universidad del Valle, followed by a Master's at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. I started my research work in the function and regulation of genes related to butterflies' color patterns development and evolution at the Reed laboratory at Cornell University. Currently, I am a postdoctoral Ford Foundation fellow at the Martin laboratory at George Washington University, expanding my EvoDevo research in Lepidoptera.
* Joshua R. York
Northwestern University (USA)
I am a Life Sciences Research Foundation postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University in Dr. Carole LaBonne’s lab. I earned my BS and MS in Ecology from the University of Central Oklahoma and Ph.D in Biology at the University of Oklahoma where my research focused on deciphering the evolutionary origins of vertebrate neural crest cells using lamprey as a model system. My postdoctoral work centers on using genomics and other approaches to shed light on the gene regulatory basis for stem cell pluripotency in vertebrates and how this influenced the origins of neural crest stem cells. This work uses Xenopus, axolotl and lamprey. I am very interested in promoting and growing Evo-Devo research. The Pan-American Society for Evolutionary Developmental Biology stands out as one of the only societies where the Evo-Devo field can come together to discuss and collaborate on a wide range of fascinating evolutionary questions. My goal is to further expand the base of postdocs and graduate students that are interested in exploring the interface of development and evolution. I hope to do this by developing opportunities for career training and workshops and creating a diverse and inclusive environment for everyone passionate about Evo-Devo.