Announcing the 2024 Evolutionary, Ecological, and Conservation Genomics (EECG) Research Award Recipients

2024 AGA Award Outcomes

Ecological, Evolutionary, and Conservation Genomics (EECG) Research Awards

The AGA grants EECG Research Awards each year to graduate and post-doctoral researchers who are at a critical point in their research, where additional funds would allow them to conclude their research project and prepare it for publication.

57 students and post-docs applied for funding this year, and 11 received funding (Table 1), one of whom* received the Robert K. Wayne Conservation Scholarship and Research Award. This special EECG award was established in memory of Robert Wayne to support graduate students whose research directly benefits a threatened species.

 

Awardees can expect letters of congratulation with more specific information and banking details request soon.

 

Table 1.  Recipients of the 2024 Ecological, Evolutionary, and Conservation Genomics Research Awards.

 

1

Madeleine

Becker

Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute

United States

Controlling for time: disentangling evolutionary and conservation genomics questions using ‘time series museomics’ in the California Channel Island deer mouse

2

Laura

Cespedes Arias

The University of Chicago

United States

The genetic underpinnings of partial reproductive isolation in a warbler hybrid zone

3

Daniel

Estévez Barcia

Greenland Institute of Natural Resources

Greenland

GRINFISH: (Genomics of Reindhartius hippoglossoides on Inshore Fisheries)

4

Jacob

Fredette-Roman

University of Wisconsin-Madison

United States

Characterizing the mechanisms of mutation rate evolution in diploid and haploid S. cerevisiae

5

Benjamin

Karin

University of California Berkeley

United States

Using ontogenetic and seasonal color change to unlock the genetic basis of vibrant red and blue coloration in a California lizard

6

Zachary

Muscavitch

University Of Connecticut

United States

Unveiling the Mysteries of Fog Lichens: Phylogenomic Insights into the Phenotypic Diversity of a Niche-Specific Radiation

7

Henry

North

University of Cambridge

United Kingdom

Leveraging evolutionary genomics to infer the past and forecast the future spread of an invasive agricultural pest

8

Elizabeth

Sheldon

Georgia Southern University, Armstrong Campus

United Kingdom

Epigenetic and dietary diversity in Alaskan coastal wolves: Harnessing DNA methylation to help delineate conservation units in North American wolves.

9

Gabrielle

Welsh

University of Denver

United States

Genomic architecture of convergent novel signals in the Pacific field cricket

10

Michael

Yuan

California Academy of Sciences

United States

Microgeographic adaptation and landscape connectivity in two anoles from the small, environmentally heterogeneous island of St. Martin

11

Cameron

So*

McGill University

Canada

Testing the conservation value of range-edge populations: local adaptation, genetic load, and inbreeding in wild lupine

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Natural selection is largely a numbers game, and diverse genetic elements have evolved to gain greater-than-random transmission via mechanisms other than (and potentially detrimental to) individual fitness. Selfish genetic elements, and the selection they exert through individual costs and compensatory/suppressor evolution, contribute to population fitness and phenotypic variation, promote species barriers and diversification, and shape the deep evolution of genome architecture and cellular processes. Logo from AGA President Lila Fishman’s symposium Selfish Evolution: Mechanisms & Consequences of Genomic Conflict

 

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News from Current

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Recent Advances in Conservation Genetics (ConGen Global-2025)

        

This course will host 25-30 students, especially welcoming to participants from African countries, and 15-20 faculty from around the world.  The course will feature the latest methods, interpretations, and applications of genetic/genomic analyses for the conservation of endangered species, and the faculty will share their expertise in technologies, research strategies, and translation featuring population-based studies.

https://conservationgenetics.org/congen2025 

 

Genomics of Marine Mammals IV (G4) Workshop

This two-day workshop will be part of the 25th Biennial Marine Mammal Conference in Perth this year, accommodating up to 150 experts and novices. It will focus on advancements in marine mammal genomics, highlighting novel methods and applications in evolution, conservation, and emerging diseases, and integrating genomics with traditional knowledge. 

https://www.smmconference.org/

 

Resources for Inclusive Evolution Education (RIE2)

Do you want to create interdisciplinary teaching resources for inclusive undergraduate evolution education? The Resources for Inclusive Evolution Education (#RIE2) working group is looking for participants to do just that! Apply now by filling out this google form! Deadline is 5 p.m. PT on May 28, 2024 #ScienceEducation #EvolutionEducation #TeachingEvolution

Please contact inclusive.evoedu@gmail.com with any questions, suggestions, or if you'd like to contribute further to this effort.

 

 

 

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