Above, the Miller Lab at the University of Florida in 2023
Christine W. Miller [email protected]
Dr. Miller is a Professor of Biotic Interactions at the University of Cambridge. She earned a B.A. from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT in 1998 and a Ph.D. in Organismal Biology and Ecology from the University of Montana in 2007. Dr. Miller works on the evolution of morphology and behavior, particularly in the field of sexual selection. Some of her recent honors and awards include a $1.2M award (2022-2026) from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the NSF CAREER Award (2016-2022), the National Excellence in College and University Teaching Award from the USDA (2017), the University of Florida College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Undergraduate Teacher of the Year Award (2018), and she was recognized as a Term Professor by the University of Florida twice, in 2016 and 2019. Christine moved to the University of Cambridge in 2024.
Curriculum vitae
Dr. Miller is a Professor of Biotic Interactions at the University of Cambridge. She earned a B.A. from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT in 1998 and a Ph.D. in Organismal Biology and Ecology from the University of Montana in 2007. Dr. Miller works on the evolution of morphology and behavior, particularly in the field of sexual selection. Some of her recent honors and awards include a $1.2M award (2022-2026) from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the NSF CAREER Award (2016-2022), the National Excellence in College and University Teaching Award from the USDA (2017), the University of Florida College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Undergraduate Teacher of the Year Award (2018), and she was recognized as a Term Professor by the University of Florida twice, in 2016 and 2019. Christine moved to the University of Cambridge in 2024.
Curriculum vitae
Christina Salerno
Christina is a Postdoctoral Laboratory Supervisor in the Miller Lab. She completed her B.S. (2017) and Ph.D. (2023) in marine biology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Her Ph.D. explored the patterns, causes and consequences of personality in a keystone salt marsh grazer, Littoraria irrorata. Christina is investigating the biomechanics of animal weapons in dynamic environments. She is passionate about animal behavior and is also exploring the different habitats that Florida has to offer.
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Noraly van Meer
Noraly is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Miller Lab. She did her BSc and MSc in Biology at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. Her PhD research focused on the muscle morphology and activity patterns in larval zebrafish (Danio rerio). In the Miller Lab, she is investigating the biomechanics of animal weapons, specifically how different diets affect the exoskeleton and muscles of insect weapons.
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Janice Yan
Janice is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Miller Lab. She completed her B.Sc. (2019) in Biology and Psychology at McMaster University and is completing her Ph.D at McMaster in 2024. Her Ph.D examined the intersection between sexual conflict and social behaviour by constructing social networks of bed bug populations. In the Miller Lab, Janice is studying the effects of variable nutritional environments on fighting behaviour, male-male competition, and sexual selection in the leaf-footed cactus bug. Outside of the lab, Janice wishes to experience all that Florida has to offer and is especially excited to see Florida’s diverse wildlife.
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Google Scholar
James Boothroyd
James finished his B.S. at Northern Arizona University in 2017 and joined us as a Ph.D. student in the fall of 2020. James has a great interest in invertebrate biology and behavior, especially as it relates to evolution and sexual selection. In the Miller Lab James is working on the evolution of phenotypic plasticity in testes and weapons. He balances his demanding research schedule with leadership, serving as the Supervisory TA for the Principles of Entomology laboratory sections, and teaching of his own laboratory section.
Yichen Li
Yichen completed her B.S. at University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2022, with majors in Evolutionary Biology and Psychology, and a certificate in Environmental Studies. She joined the Miller Lab as a M.S. student in the fall of 2022. Yichen is mesmerized by insect behavioral ecology broadly, and specifically interested in sexual selection and the influence of social context on leaf-footed bugs. Her M.S. thesis research focuses on female injuries sustained as a result of male-male competition. Besides doing sciences, she also loves macro photography and drawing insects.
Alva Mihalik
Alva joined us in September 2023 to complete a year-long internship in the lab, focusing on environmental impacts on the insect cuticle. She has worked with several study organisms, from wasps to lizards, and her main research interest is the evolution of reproductive strategies. She is captivated by insects because many provide great opportunities to learn about evolution. Outside of the lab, she likes to explore the outdoors and paint or photograph what she sees in nature, mainly insects. Alva graduated from the University of Florida in December 2023.
