Dr. Jess McLaughlin (they/them)
Jess is the PI! They grew up as a generally outdoorsy kid in Dayton, OH, and so naturally they decided at 18 to run off to Alaska to get their degree in Wildlife Biology at University of Alaska Fairbanks. Since then, they’ve followed that with an MSc in Biological Sciences (also at UAF), a PhD in Biology at University of Oklahoma, postdocs at UC Berkeley and UMass Amherst, and a stint as an instructor at Mission College (CA).
Jess is interested in why certain taxa have the specific evolutionary outcomes they do when similar taxa do not, and they get very excited about figuring out how to use cool new sequencing tech for conservation. They are also an advocate for equity in STEM, especially for LGBTQ+ inclusion. You can read more about their background and CV here.
You??
Do you like tropical birds? You could work on speciation in Panama!
You??
Want to do field-based sequencing in Alaska? You could help develop our Nanopore projects!
Join us!
Want to see your face in this gallery? I am currently recruiting MSc students for Fall 2025! I am also willing to discuss PhD and postdoc opportunities. And as always, undergrads are always welcome!
Interested? Let’s talk! Email me at jfmclaughlin [at] alaska.edu.
Collaborators
Part of what makes science fun is working with so many other cool people! Below is a running list of some of the folks we’ve worked with:
Dr. Kinsey Brock, SDSU
Dr. Andy Danylchuk, UMass Amherst
Dr. Lisa Komoroske, UMass Amherst
Dr. Sara Lipshutz, Duke
Dr. Matthew Miller, Reneco International Wildlife Consultants
Dr. Ian Wang, UC Berkeley
Dr. Kevin Winker, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Dr. Chris Witt, University of New Mexico