Graduate Students
Andrew Johnson
(Ph.D. student)
Andrew grew up in San Antonio, Texas and received a B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Resources at West Virginia University with a minor in Conservation Ecology. A developing interest in genetics and their applications to fisheries management and aquaculture led him to Auburn University where he received a M.S. in Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences. Andrew’s research at Auburn University focused on quantitative genetics of carcass traits within channel catfish, blue catfish, and their interspecific hybrid to enhance understanding of genetic contributions to catfish fillets.
Currently, his research had shifted from aquaculture to wild populations to
quantify genetic diversity of three popular sportfish species in the state of
West Virginia, walleye, largemouth bass, and muskie. His dissertation research
focuses on utilizing genomic approaches in an effort to supplement traditional
fisheries management. When outside of the lab, Andrew can be found on the golf
course or in the woods chasing white-tailed deer.
Madison Miller
(Ph.D. student)
Madison grew up in
South Haven, MI and attended Grand Valley State University to obtain her BS in
Biological Sciences. After undergrad, she was a lab manager at the Kellogg
Biological Station in a lab that studied the use of genetic rescue as a
conservation tool. Next, she obtained her MS in Biology from Western Michigan
University where her thesis work investigated the influence of land and soil on
chronic wasting disease prevalence in deer.
Currently, she is pursuing her PhD
at WVU and is co-advised by Dr. Rota and Dr. Welsh. Her research here focuses
on population genetics, disease, and spatial ecology of Appalachian rabbits and
snowshoe hares across West Virginia. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking with
her dog, Zooey.
Lauren Schumacher
(Ph.D. student)
Lauren is originally from St. Rose, Illinois, but has lived all over the
country as part of her schooling and career. She received a B.S. in Marine
Biology from Florida Institute of Technology and M.S. in Population and
Conservation Biology from Texas State University. She was previously a research technician in the Wild Genomics
Lab where she used genetic techniques to assign lake sturgeon captured in Lake
Superior to their most likely spawning site of origin.
After working as a
wildlife forensic analyst in Wyoming, she returned to West Virginia University
to continue working on the population genetics of Lake Superior lake sturgeon
and pursue her Ph.D. in Natural Resources Sciences. In her free time, Lauren
enjoys swing dancing, caring for her houseplants, and working on various DIY
and craft projects.
Eden Nitza
(M.S. student)
Eden grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana and received her B.S. degree in Biology from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia in 2020. After graduating, she worked as a seasonal wildlife technician in several capacities, including: red-cockaded woodpecker population monitoring in Florida, mule deer surveying in Kansas, coyote collaring in Georgia, and pronghorn antelope collaring in Oklahoma.
She joined the Wild Genomics lab at WVU in 2022 as an M.S. student and is studying the diet and population genetics of the reintroduced river otter (Lontra canadensis) population in West Virginia.
Adam Cook
(M.S. student)
Adam grew up in Horseheads, NY before moving to Charlottesville, VA to attend the University of Virginia. He graduated in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology, with a concentration in biological and environmental conservation and a minor in Data Science. Adam participated in undergraduate research, working on metapopulation dynamics and genetics of white campion (Silene latifolia) where he managed and analyzed population data for a thirty-year study. This research also opened the door to working in lab genetics.
With an interest in genetics in addition to conservation biology, Adam joined the Wild Genomics Lab in summer 2023, where he works on the population genetics of West Virginia’s reintroduced elk. He is studying genomic differences between the two source populations, as well as conducting a parentage analysis.
Amylynn Ephraim
(M.S. student)
Amylynn has led a non-traditional academic and career path, beginning her bachelor's when she was 21 at William Rainey Harper College and finishing with a B.S. in Environmental Science at age 30 from Arkansas Tech University. Originally from Chicago, she had the pleasure of working in a variety of settings as a naturalist while working on her undergraduate degree. After earning her bachelor's, she worked as a field technician on a western chicken turtle project, which solidified her desire to go to graduate school. An AmeriCorps position at the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge brought her to West Virginia, where she fell in love with this wild & wonderful state.
She joined the Wild Genomics Lab in August 2023 to study population genomics of the federally threatened Cheat Mountain salamander (Plethodon nettingi) and test the efficacy of FTA swab cards as a minimally invasive genetic sampling method. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, cooking rustic foods, and playing tabletop games.