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Team:
Peter Dijkstra (PI)
I study how social competition and oxidative stress shape physiology, stress resilience, and evolution. Using African cichlids as a model, my lab integrates behavioral and physiological approaches to understand how animals manage the energetic costs of reproduction, parenting, and social life.
I was born in Korea and raised in the Netherlands. After completing my PhD at the University of Groningen, I moved to Glasgow for my first postdoc and did a second postdoc at UT Austin. I have been at CMU since 2015.
Office: 4105 Biosciences Building
Email: dijks1p@cmich.edu
Phone: (989) 774-2918
Farjana Chamily (Ph.D. student)
Farjana is interested in the link between stress physiology, life history, and body coloration.
Farjana was born a raised in Bangladesh. She earned my B.S degree in Fisheries and an M.S. in the Marine Bioresource Science Department at Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University. She joined the lab in 2024 as a Ph.D. student in the EES program.
Olivia Buzinski (Ph.D. student)
Olivia is working on social competition and stress adaptation. She is specifically interested in bioenergetic and molecular adaptation in the brain to repeated hypoxia exposure. Olivia will use neural transcriptome analysis of specific brain regions and combine this with detailed mitochondrial performance measurements. Olivia completed her M.S. degree in the Dijkstra lab in 2024 and is now a Ph.D. student in the EES program.
Tyler Beyett (Ph.D. student)
Tyler is interested in the regulation of oxidative stress in the brain under varying levels of social stress. Current projects including assessment of glutathione levels and oxidative DNA damage in brain division of cichlid males exposed to varying levels of territorial competition. Tyler completed his undergraduate degree at Central Michigan University and is now a Ph.D. student in the BCMB program.
Ethan Burka (M.S. student)
Ethan is interested in environmental enrichment, social stress, and animal welfare. His research focuses on the effects of water plants on breeding performance and aggressive behavior in cichlid communities. Originally from the D.C. area, he holds a B.S. degree from the University of Tampa.
Undergraduate students:
Ben Vanderklok: Ben is interested in energy balance and mitochondrial function.
Sarah Wojtylko: Sarah studies the link between territory quality and social dominance
Previous members (if you want me to update this, let me know!)
Undergraduate students:
Gabriela DeOliveira (medical school, MSU)
Judy Stanford (Master's program Perfusion Technology, Rush University)
Micala Decker
Tayler Brown
Matthew Tryc (Master's program, New Mexico State University)
Phil Aufdemberge
Hannah Janeski
Emily Miros (PA school at Wayne State University)
Tyler Funnell (Master's program at Michigan State University, now USDA)
Yeeling Li
Victoria Wright
Sarah Giglio (veterinary school, Purdue University)
Brady Bush (medical school, CMU)
Hailey Hartman (veterinary school, MSU)
Morgan Dziubinski (veterinary school, Iowa State University)
William Bright (secondary education)
Emily Dolben (University of Manchester)
Isobel Bolitho (University of Manchester, MS University of Sheffield, now Associate Programme Officer (Nature Conserved) at UNEP-WCMC)
Ashley Harvey (secondary education)
Howard Mitchell (now in the Uzarski lab)
Alexandra (Lexi) Balasa
Zachary Hager (now in the Swarts lab)
Graduate students:
Shana Border (now in Ph.D. program at Illinois State University)
Taylor Piefke (Research Scientist IV at Bennett Aerospace)
Jake Sawecki (Ph.D. program at Michigan State University)
Renee Renauer
Robert Fialkowski (Postdoctoral Research Associate at Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago)
Travis Moore (Program Coordinator, Faculty Success - Texas State University; Adjunct Assistant Professor of Biology - Austin Community College)
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