Principal investigator
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Dr. Sandy Kawano
Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, Clemson University (2014) B.S. in Evolution, Ecology and Biodiversity; University of California - Davis, with a minor in Avian Sciences (2008) A.S. in Biological Sciences, De Anza College (2005) Twitter: @MorphoFun GitHub: @MorphoFun Email: smkawano<at>gwu.edu CV: Click HERE. My research addresses questions regarding the evolution and ecology of phenotypic and functional diversity through the lens of comparative biomechanics and functional morphology. Fundamentally, I seek to explain how evolutionary changes in the musculoskeletal system facilitate or constrain the diversification of animals in different environments. Common research themes include: 1) the locomotor biomechanics across the fin-limb transition in vertebrate evolution, 2) morphological diversity driven by phenotypic selection, and 3) the eco-mechanics of locomotion across different environments. My interdisciplinary research integrates empirical and theoretical approaches, including inverse dynamics, high-speed videography, materials science and engineering, statistics, mathematics, and computer modeling. Thanks to Time Scavengers for featuring my biography on Meet the Scientist blog, and the Journal of Experimental Biology for inviting me to participate in their Early Career Conversations series! Also, happy to be a member of the R-Ladies Global community! Current members of the Fins and Limbs team are highlighted below. Our academic family tree can be found HERE. |
Photo credit: Sean DuFrene / Photographer Marketing and Communications Long Beach State University. Copyright ©2017-2018, Long Beach State University, All Rights Reserved.
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Research staff
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Dr. Emily Naylor
Post-doctoral Researcher B.S. in Biological Sciences, Ohio University (2013); certificate in Museum Studies (2015) Ph.D. in Evolution, Ecology, & Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside (2020) Email: enaylor<at>gwu<dot>edu Website: https://ernaylor.weebly.com (Check out the above website for a CV and past awards, service, and more!) I am broadly interested in the functional morphology, biomechanics, and evolution of animal movement. Continuing in the direction of my Ph.D. work on geckos, my research at GW will use live-animal experiments and collections-based methods to examine the ecological context under which locomotor phenotypes operate and evolve, but with respect to the tetrapod land invasion. Alongside my research, I am passionate about teaching and public outreach and look forward to continuing to grow as a communicator and ambassador of science. Presentations of lab research:
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Zach Quigley
Lab technician B.A. in Integrative Biology, UC Berkeley (2018) Email: zmgquigley<at>gwu<dot>edu I am interested in investigating the functional morphology of organisms that push the bounds of organismal function, particularly in their methods of locomotion and feeding behavior. I am currently working as a post-baccalaureate lab technician/researcher using micro-CT analysis to investigate the functional limb morphology of amphibious organisms. I previously interned in the Flight Lab at UC Berkeley under Dr. Alejandro Rico-Guevara, where I helped design, construct, and program an automated robotic feeder-mask device to collect metabolic data on a feeding hummingbird in flight. Before that I interned in the Healy Lab at UC Berkeley under Dr. Amit J. Kha, where I helped formulate and manufacture an electrospun, hydrogel, human pluripotent stem cell scaffold using a novel hydrogel formulation. I also participated in confocal and SEM imaging of our scaffolding. I plan on applying to graduate schools within the next year in order to further pursue academic research. Presentations of lab research:
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Training
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Graduate students
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Jonathan Huie
Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, George Washington University (2020 - present) B.S. in Marine Biology and Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, double major; University of Washington (2019). Twitter handle: @jmhuiee Email: jonathanmhuie<at>gmail<dot>com Webite: http://www.jonathanhuie.com/ I am broadly interested in comparative functional morphology, ecology, and macroevolution. How does the natural history of an animal shape its anatomy? Have ecologically similar taxa evolved convergent or divergent morphological adaptations? These questions have been large motivators for my recent and on-going work on fish feeding morphology and anole ecomorphology. For my PhD, I currently plan to investigate the morphology that underlies salamander locomotion and their water to land transition by integrating multi-disciplinary methods and techniques including (but not limited to) biomechanical testing and modelling, CT scanning, live animal kinematics, and phylogenetic comparative methods. Honors and awards:
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Matt LeFauve
PhD candidate with Dr. Patricia Hernandez and an honorary member of the Fins and Limbs lab! Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, George Washington University (2016-Present) M.S. in Biology, American University (2016) B.S. in Animal Behavior, Canisius College (2014) Twitter: @mklefauve Email: mlefauve<at>GWU<dot>edu Website: matthewklefauve.weebly.com I am broadly interested in how organisms collect and process sensory information and how differences in their central nervous systems relate to differences in behavior and ecological niche habitation. My current research focuses on social behavior variation between species of hearing specialist fishes and neuroanatomical differences between invasive Asian carp species using live animal experiments, animal kinematics, CT scanning and segmentation, histology, and high-throughput tracking of animal behavior using deep-convoluted neural networks. My previous work has focused on behavioral toxicology in zebrafish and cognition and behavioral endocrinology in gorillas. Presentations of lab research:
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Undergraduate students
Stay tuned!
Alumni
Check out alumni of the Fins and Limbs Lab!
Join the lab!
Are you also interested in studying the form and function of animals? If so, consider joining the lab!
