Lab members
Michael Griego, PhD
Post-doc
Michael is interested in how animals maximize performance during challenging life history stages. He completed his PhD at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2022, where he focused on songbird metabolism and refueling performance in the context of migratory stopover. He joined the Whiteman lab to investigate whether songbirds migrating through the Chihuahuan desert are assisted by annual monsoon rain events in the fall. He is using stable isotopes to quantify the contributions of periodic monsoon rains to the water budgets of migrants, and assessing if whole-animal performance is constrained by water balance at arid land stopover sites.
PhD Candidate
Zachary is interested in taking a scientific approach to inform conservation and management decisions. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2016 with a BS in Biology and has since worked with Giant Pandas, Northern Spotted Owls, Greater Sage-Grouse, spiders, and bats through various technician jobs around the world. Zachary is studying seasonal metabolism changes in Asiatic Black Bears and other Ursidae species in southern Asia while working towards his PhD at Old Dominion University.
Austin Jameson (starting autumn 2024)
PhD Student
To be completed.
Karen Caceres
MS student
Karen is interested in supporting wildlife conservation by examining animal behavior and physiology, as well as their responses to changing environments. She graduated from Old Dominion University with a BS in Biology in 2021. Karen became passionate about wildlife preservation through visits to US national parks, and she has a long-term goal of contributing to conservation within the parks system by conducting research. For her MS, she is combining captive and field studies investigating energetics and water balance of ectotherms.
Patty Schenke, DVM
MS student
Patty is interested in utilizing physiology research in order to assist in wildlife conservation. She earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the Justus-Liebig-Universität in Germany in 2008. During her time in Veterinary School, she completed internships in various biomedical laboratories, which ultimately led to her pursuit of a PhD at the Paul Ehrlich Institut in Germany. Her research included the development of a human smallpox vaccine adapted from a murine mousepox model.
Upon relocating to the United States, she volunteered at the Virginia Zoo, gaining valuable insights into the field of conservation. This experience ignited her commitment to contribute to wildlife preservation. Patty is eager to combine her love of research and conservation for her MS. She is joining the Whiteman lab examining the water balance in polar bears to draw conclusions pertaining to their water needs and possible adaptations in their physiology. This research could bring more clarity to the impact of global warming on polar bears and subsequently be of use to the field of polar bear conservation.
Alumni: Graduate students, Post-docs
2024 Zachary Steele, PhD. The ecological applications of δ17O: validating a novel technique for assessing animal metabolism and water intake. Next position: Presidential Management Fellows Finalist.
2022 Antonella Panebianco, Post-doc (co-advised). Mammal physiology and behavior. Next position: Assistant Researcher at the federal agency CONICET in Argentina.
Alumni: undergraduate researchers (partial list)
2024 Will Jensen. Next step: DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) program.
2023 Claire Penix. Next step: DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) program.
2023 Austin Jameson. Next step: PhD program.
2021 Karen Caceres. Next step: MS program.
2020 Melanny Leandado. Recipient of ODU Research & Creativity Summer Fellowship.