our team
eva k fischer
principal investigator
ekfischer@ucdavis.edu
she/her
Eva is a brain, behavior, and baked good enthusiast. The science questions that keep Eva up at night these days are how best to understand behavior across levels of biological organization and whether cell types are really a thing. Following in the footsteps of her PhD advisor, Eva’s mentoring strategy includes increasing lab morale and productivity through intermittent food reward.
favorite lab item? the amazing people in the lab (aka the LABradors)
number of plants in your house? 42
cameron badger
lab manager, aka fairy frog parent
cambadger@ucdavis.edu
they/them
Cameron is fascinated by the neural mechanisms that shape social behavior—because let’s be honest, brains are weird, and frogs are even weirder. When not wrangling data or pondering the mysteries of social interactions, Cameron can be found scaling cliffs, trekking through the wilderness, or attempting to sew their way out of any wardrobe-related crisis. In the evenings, they swap the lab coat for dance shoes, indulging in fusion dance as a social experiment (purely scientific, of course).
favorite lab item? sphagnum moss
number of plants in your house? 17
melina acosta
postdoctoral fellow
mcacosta@ucdavis.edu
she/her
Melina completed her PhD studying the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the onset of paternal behavior in the biparental California mouse. She is interested in using a comparative approach to explore the neurobiological mechanisms that regulate similar social behaviors across different species, as well as those that govern distinct behaviors between sexes within a species. When not in the lab, Melina likes to hike, bake, try new food, travel, and snuggle her cat.
favorite lab item? serological pipette bulb
number of plants in your house? 2
hannah justen
postdoctoral fellow
hjusten@ucdavis.edu
she/her
Hannah completed her PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology studying the genomics of migratory behavior, hybridization and speciation in birds. In the Fischer lab she is working on aggressive behavior of tadpoles, combining genomics and neuroscience tools for a more comeplete understaning of biological basis of this behavior. In her free time Hannah can be found running or going for a walk with friends. Learn more at hannahjusten.de.
favorite lab item? tadpole fram
number of plants in your house? 5
yi-ting fang
graduate student
ytfang@ucdavis.edu
she/her
Yi-Ting is a PhD student in the Animal Behavior Graduate Group. She worked on the evolution and neuro-transcriptomics of nesting behavior in birds during her B.S. and M.S. programs. In Fischer’s lab, she studies how the gut-brain axis influences parental behavior and how vertical microbiome transmission occurs through parental care. In her free time, she likes to lie in bed with her cat together for the whole day.
favorite lab item? tadpole tattoo kit
number of plants in your house? 0
isabel kier
graduate student
iakier@ucdavis.edu
she/her
Izzy is a PhD candidate in the Animal Behavior Graduate Group. She is fascinated by social bonds between animals, particularly in the context of sexual selection and reproductive outcomes. In the Fischer lab, she is examining the relationship between pair bond strength and reproductive success in the mimic poison frog (Ranitomeya imitator). Izzy is co-advised by Dr. Karen Bales, with whom she studies pair bonding and social behavior in the coppery titi monkey (Plecturocebus cupreus). In her free time, Izzy can be found trying to teach herself a new creative hobby (linocut printing, at the moment), re-watching Lord of the Rings, or walking her indefatigable puppy, Ursa.
favorite lab item? tadpole tea and the dissecting scope
number of plants in your house? 16, but only 5 are mine
brandon kong
graduate student
brkong@ucdavis.edu
he/him
Brandon worked on salamander conservation genetics and squamate reptile physiology while completing his B.S. and M.S. programs. In the Fischer Lab, he hopes to study the levels of convergent evolution (from behavior to molecules) in amphibian parental care. In his ‘free’ time, he can be found searching for amphibians and reptiles in the wild, reading a good (usually non-fiction) book, or taking his family on hikes.
favorite lab item? frogs and the orc mace (aka, fruit fly media mixer)
number of plants in your house? 5
leah hall
undergraduate student
leehall@ucdavis.edu
she/they
Leah is an undergraduate student in Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology with a deep fascination for the diverse social behaviors of animals. She loves learning why animals behave the way they do and looks forward to continuing to study and research animal behavior throughout her career. In the Fischer Lab, she is investigating maternal care in Dendrobates tinctorius, a frog species primarily paternal care based, seeking a clearer understanding of if, how and why maternal behaviors emerge. In her free time, Leah can be found reading, playing videos games or hanging out with her gecko, Lucky Stripe.
favorite lab item? critterade
number of plants in your house? 2
jingyuan liu
undergraduate student
jyrliu@ucdavis.edu
he/him
Jingyuan is an Applied Statistics major who currently works in the Fischer Lab, where he assists with animal care and contributes to research on tadpole open-field anxiety behavior. In his free time, J enjoys drinking tea and appreciating quiet moments.
favorite lab item? film canisters
number of plants in your house? 25
ryan needels
undergraduate student
rmneedels@ucdavis.edu
he/him
Ryan is an Animal Biology major with an interest in behavioral ecology and evolution, especially how different environments shape the way animals behave. He hopes to go to grad school and explore questions in animal behavior and evolutionary biology. Outside of school, Ryan enjoys going to concerts and learning new songs on his guitar.
favorite lab item? automatic misters
number of plants in your house? 3.5
polina polivakova
undergraduate student
ppoliakova@ucdavis.edu
she/her
coming soon
favorite lab item? coming soon
number of plants in your house? coming soon
ellie stokes
undergraduate student
ezstokes@ucdavis.edu
she/her
Ellie recently completed her undergraduate degree in Entomology and is currently working at both the Fischer and Muth labs helping with frog care and working on bumblebee experiments. She hopes to gain experience in insect behavioral research and frog care that she can apply towards future career goals in insect or amphibian conservation or behavioral studies. In her free time, she enjoys organizing her stationary collection, drawing, and finding a good deal at estate sales or thrift stores.
favorite lab item? tadpole tea
number of plants in your house? 31 … ish
lucy tao
undergraduate student
lqtao@ucdavis.edu
she/her
Lucy is a Neurobiology, Physiology, & Behavior major, with minors in Psychology and Philosophy. In the lab, Lucy is interested in how stress hormones mediate juvenile aggressive behavior. In the wild, Lucy can be found hiking, writing/editing articles for Morning Sign Out, and completing 1000-piece puzzles with her roommates (with minimal contribution).
favorite lab item? cement mixer, hot glue gun, handheld vacuum
number of plants in your house? 1 alive, 1 barely hanging on
lab alumni
(gone, but not forgotten)
postdocs
sarah westrick (2020 - 2024) now faculty at Wake Forest University
jen moss (2021 - 2023) now faculty at Virginia Tech University
graduate students
faith hardin (2021 - 2023)
kat soto (2021 - 2023) MS
lisa surber-cunningham (2020 - 2025) PhD
emily terrill-sondag (2021 - 2024) MS
lab managers (aka, fairy frog parents)
katie julkowski (2020 - 2023)
holiday maag (2023 - 2024)
undergraduate students
harmen alleyne (2020 - 2023)
destini coleman (2022 - 2023)
amari houston (2023 - 2024)
lucas jimenez (2023 - 2025)
katherine klugman (2023)
lauren lindstrom (2023 - 2025)
olivia marsden (2022 - 2024)
lauren mobo (2023)
samta oza (2021)
thomas parrish (2023 - 2023)
isabel parrales (2022 - 2023)
molly podraza (2021 - 2023)
sarah ruby porth (2022)
angelina roman-alcocer (2024)
halle santiago (2021 - 2023)
savannah shelton (2022 - 2023)
abby stevenson (2021 - 2023)
isabella strohmeier (2022 - 2025)