
People at the Nunez Lab






Members

Principal Investigator
Joaquin C. B. Nunez
Ph.D. Brown University
Sc.M. Brown University
B.S. University of Miami

Laboratory Manager
Katie Ann Bora
B.S. Northern Vermont University at Johnson
Katie is the Lab Manager of the Nunez Lab. She began working as a lab technician in the Biology Department at the University of Vermont in 2017, after completing her studies in environmental science at NVU-Johnson. She is an avid gardener, reader, and amateur forager.
Responsible for organismal husbandry and lab logistics. Member since 2024.
email: Katie.Bora[at]uvm.edu

Ph.D. Candidate
Andrew R. McCracken
B.S. Wesleyan University
Andrew is an NSF GRFP fellow. His research focuses on the adaptive responses of marine organisms to multifactorial stressors. He uses echinoderms to investigate selection responses to thermal and immune stressors.
Co-Supervised with Melissa Pespeni; Research Foci: Sea Urchins, Simulations. Member since 2023.

Ph.D. Student
Kit Eller
B.S. University of Vermont
Kit is interested in the genetics and ecology of how invasive insects adapt to new environments. Kit will be leading several projects focusing on Drosophila suzukii as a study system.
Research Foci: Fruit flies, Spotted Wing Drosophila. Member since 2024.

Bioinformatician
Luke A. Proud
B.S. University of Vermont
Luke Proud is a bioinformatician in the lab. He analyzes genomic data to investigate footprints of seasonal selection in Drosophila melanogaster, focusing on the In(2L)t inversion in European populations. He contributes to the efforts of the DEST project.
Research Foci: Computational Biology, Fruit flies, Inversions, seasonality. Member since 2023.

Technician
Sebastian Redondo
B.S. University of Vermont
Sebastian is a technician in the lab, providing support to multiple projects focused on seasonal evolution and genomics in Drosophila.
Research Foci: Fruit flies, Spotted Wing Drosophila. Member since 2025.

Undergraduate Researcher
Emma Shaw
CAS - Biology student
Emma is a 2025 Summer Research Fellow investigating the genetic basis of salinity acclimation on marine organisms. She is exploring the organismal and developmental cost of variations in salinity using green sea urchins. Emma is the recipient of a 2024 APLE award from the College of Arts and Sciences.
Research Foci: Sea Urchins, pop. gen., ecophysiology. Member since 2024.

Undergraduate Researcher
Olin King
CAS - Biology student
Olin is a 2025 Summer Research Fellow. He will be examining thermal tolerance in embryos of overwintering Drosophila.
Co-Supervised with Brent Lockwood; Research Foci: Fruit flies, Inversions, thermal adaptation. Member since 2024.

Undergraduate Researcher
Devon Michaelson
CALS - Biology student
Devon is a 2025 PLHC Professional Development Fellow. She'll be examining the neurobiology of temperature-dependent food choice in Drosophila.
Research Foci: Fruit flies, Inversions, thermal adaptation. Member since 2024.

Undergraduate Researcher
Jack Eltman
CAS - Biology student
Jack is an undergraduate researcher majoring in Biology. He is exploring various aspects of Drosophila population biology, with an emphasis in Drosophila suzukii.
Research Foci: Fruit flies, Spotted Wing Drosophila. Member since 2025.

Undergraduate Researcher
Thomas Boland
CAS - Biology student
Thomas is an undergraduate student researcher majoring in Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences. He will be a member of the lab team investigating the effects of environmental salinity on sea urchin populations and marine pathogens.
Research Foci: Sea urchins, population genetics, and environmental adaptation. Member since 2025.

Research Staff
Ethan Picpican
CALS - Plant Biology student
Ethan is an undergraduate student majoring in plant biology. He will be providing logistical support to the students and staff in urchin and fly care
Responsible for organismal husbandry and lab logistics. Member since 2025.
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Undergraduate Researcher
Sophie Sumner
CAS - Biology student
Sophie will join the lab in Fall of 2025
Research Foci: TBD. Member since 2025.

Undergraduate Researcher
Ava Altman
CAS - Biology student
Ava will join the lab in Fall of 2025
Research Foci: TBD. Member since 2025.
Collaborators and Friends of the Lab

Ecological genomics of sea urchins

Ecological physiology of sea urchins and fruit flies

Population genomics of ants

Neurobiology of seasonal drosophilids

Marine Science; NSF-IRES

Seasonality in drosophilids, evolution of inversions

Population genetic simulations, evolution of inversions

Thermal biology of fruit flies, ecological physiology

Jackie Guillemin (UVM)
Population genetics of gustatory receptors in flies.

Thomas O'Leary (UVM)
Thermal physiology of flies

Emily Longman (UVM)
Genomics of Nucella snails

Danny Sadler (UVM)
Genomics of purple urchins

Sarah Stover (UVM)
Genomics of green urchins

Fruit fly genomics
Alumni and Previous Trainees

Eliza M. Bufferd
Member 2023-2025 (UVM-CALS, HCOL) B.S. '25 in Biology with Distinction (DUR). Co-advised with Brent Lockwood. Went on to work as a medical assistant at Mass. General Brigham Hospital.

Miles O. Garvin
Member 2023-2025 (UVM-CALS)
B.S. '25 in Biology. Co-advised with Sara Helms Cahan. Went on to become a high school math teacher in southern VT.

Jake L. Bair
Member 2023-2024 (UVM-CAS)
B.A. '24 in Biology. Went on to do an MBA at Northeastern University.

Katelyn Sullivan
Member 2023-2024 (UVM-CAS)
B.S. '25 in Biology.

David J. Bass
University of Virginia (2023)
B.S. Statistics and B.A. Math
Co-advised with Alan Bergland
Went on to pursue a PhD in Johns Hopkins University

David A. Ferranti
Brown University (2019)
Sc.B. Ecology and Evolution
Co-advised with David Rand
Went on to pursue a PhD in UCSD