|
Professor Christine W. Miller [email protected]
Christine Miller is a Professor of Biotic Interactions at the University of Cambridge and has continuing ties to NSF-sponsored research underway at the University of Florida. 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. Christine 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. Google Scholar |
|
Dr Christina Salerno
Christina is a NSF postdoctoral associate based at the University of Florida. 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. Now, Christina is working on spine biomechanics and the ecology of aggression in leaf-footed bugs. She is passionate about animal behaviour and the different habitats that Florida has to offer. Google Scholar |
|
Dr Noraly van Meer
Noraly is a NSF postdoctoral associate based at the University of Florida. 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. Google Scholar |
|
Dr Janice Yan
Janice is a NSF postdoctoral associate based at the University of Florida. 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. At the University of Florida, 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. Google Scholar |
|
Dr James Boothroyd
James is a finishing Ph.D. candidate based at the University of Florida. He finished his B.S. at Northern Arizona University in 2017. James has a great interest in invertebrate biology and behaviour, especially as it relates to evolution and sexual selection. For his Ph.D., James is working on the evolution of phenotypic plasticity in testes and weapons. He has balanced 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. James has defended his dissertation and is finishing in August 2025. |
|
Dr Eleanor Bladon (Ellie)
Ellie is an evolutionary and behavioural ecologist based at the University of Cambridge. From October 2025 she will hold the Clare College Pathway to Independence Fellowship in Ecology and Conservation Biology. During her fellowship she will investigate how anthropogenic environmental change affects animals' social behaviour and how social behaviour can adapt plastically and evolve over longer timescales to ameliorate the effects of environmental change. Her research approach combines field work, behavioural experiments and multiomics. Ellie completed her MPhil (2017) and PhD (2022) at the University of Cambridge. Her PhD, supervised by Professor Rebecca Kilner, investigated how the social environment and associated behaviours - particularly parental care - drive the evolution and plasticity of behavioural and physiological traits, and influence non-genetic inheritance. After this she worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Professor William Sutherland’s Conservation Evidence group synthesising the evidence for conservation actions for Lepidoptera and corals, and in Professor Rebecca Kilner’s group investigating whether habitat fragmentation can lead to divergent evolution of social behaviours. Alongside her research Ellie is passionate about communicating science to a wider audience through a range of mediums, including undergraduate and postgraduate student supervising and mentoring, voluntary outreach work with community groups, and professional radio presenting. Google Scholar |
|
Hao Chen (Howard)
Hao is a Ph.D. student based at the University of Cambridge. He is focusing on how host plant nutrition influences insect exoskeleton development. He completed his B.S. in Biology at National Taiwan Normal University (2019) and his M.S. in Ecology and Evolution at National Taiwan University (2022). Prior to his PhD, Hao worked as a Research Assistant at the Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taiwan, where he investigated burying beetle breeding phenology through extensive fieldwork in Taiwan, Okinawa, and Amami Island, Japan. His research integrates field experiments with laboratory-based morphological, physiological, and behavioral studies to understand organismal adaptation to environmental challenges. Personal website |
|
Kathryn Cooley (Kitty)
Kitty completed her MSci in Natural Sciences at the University of Nottingham in 2025 and is currently a PhD researcher based at the University of Cambridge. In the Biotic Interactions Group, and in collaboration with the Kilner Group, Kathryn is investigating how nutritional differences in beetle diets affect the development of their exoskeletal cuticles. |
|
Minh Tu Nguyen (Timothy)
Timothy is a MPhil student based at the University of Cambridge, where he also completed his undergraduate degree in Zoology. He is passionate about entomology and keen to explore the evolution of insect behaviour and morphology. Timothy is researching the trade-offs between reproductive organs and hindleg weapons in leaf-footed bugs using a comparative phylogenetics approach. He also loves to explore nature and photograph insects, especially in the wilderness of Vietnam. |
|
Jia Rong (JR) Poon
JR is a MPhil student based at the University of Cambridge. She completed her BA (Hons) in Natural Sciences (Zoology) at the University of Cambridge in 2025, and has conducted research across a broad spectrum of biology, from biochemistry to, most recently, aquatic ecology. Her MPhil focuses on the influence of nutrition on injury in leaf-footed bugs, investigating fitness-related behaviour and morphology. |
