People 

flavia barbosa

she/her

I am an Associate Professor at the 

Department of Biology at Lake Forest College. 

barbosa (at) lakeforest.edu

Katina Lucas'25

I am a biology major and intend to minor in math and psychology. I am on the Pre-Health track in hopes of studying to become a pediatric physical therapist. I love biology and have a soft spot for genetics. Life itself is such an interesting topic to me because everything is so complex ranging from a mitochondrion in a cell to a unicellular prokaryote to a multicellular eukaryote. I’m so excited to explore more about life and study environmental impacts on complex organisms. In my free time, I enjoy doing logic puzzles, especially sudoku, and writing poetry!

Lia Romanotto ‘25

I am a Biology and History double major with a minor in Sociology and Anthropology. I am interested in biology because I think it is so cool and important to understand the world around us, especially other organisms. In my free time I enjoy swimming, playing cards, and reading. I am so excited to join the amazing people in this lab and learn with them!



sylvie paddon-jones'25

I am a double major in Biology and History, with a minor in Chemistry. I really enjoy the breadth of knowledge that comes along with studying biology and how it is used to understand microorganisms we have no hope of seeing—all the way to entire ecosystems. There's always a chance to learn more! Outside of the lab, I am a member of the Swim and Dive team, but I also take every chance I can to sit down with a good book. I am so excited and grateful to have the opportunity to be part of this lab, and I’m excited to see what it brings to my last year at LFC.

THALIA LEON RODRIGUEZ ‘27

I am a double major in Biology and Neuroscience, along with a minor in Spanish. My love for animals drives my plan to attend veterinary school. My love for Biology comes from its ability to reveal how living organisms function, adapt, and interact, providing a profound sense of wonder and driving my passion for the field. In my free time I enjoy ceramics, spending time outdoors, gardening and volunteering at animal shelters. I'm extremely excited to dive into this research, delving into the fascinating realm of animal behavior and their intricate interactions. I eagerly anticipate the opportunity to collaborate with this wonderful team, soaking up knowledge and experiences as we explore the wonders of the natural world from the lab perspective!



Teo sega sumic ‘27

I am a biology major with intentions to also major in Sociology and Anthropology. I love biology because of the massive diversity of life forms and their evolutionary adaptations to their environment, including us humans. I am especially interested in invertebrates, particularly arthropods, and I wish to one day become an entomologist. In my free time, I tend to my entomological collection, enjoy playing music and drawing, and I am a big fan of outdoor camping. I am very excited to join the lab and learn biology hands-on!



Lab alumni

Isabella Wojewski'24

Isabella majored in Biology and Education. She is completing her Masters in Education.

Raneem Samman'24

Raneem majored in Neuroscience Data Science and is taking a gap year before applying to Ph.D. programs. 

Iman Shepard'23

Iman majored in Biology and is taking a gap year while applying for P.A. school.

Beth Defoe'23

Beth majored in Biology and Environmental Studies. She is taking a gap year while applying for Ph.D. positions.

Frances Rice'21 

Frances majored in Biology and came back to the lab in 2022 as a Post-Baccalaurate researcher. 

Sarah McField'24

Sarah is a Biology major on the Pre-Medicine Track. 

Dariana Gomez'22

Dari majored in Biology and worked on sexual selection in lesser waxmoths. They are taking a gap year while applying for Ph.D. positions in Ecology, Evolution and Behavior. 


Desire Uwera Nalukwago'22

Desire majored in Neuroscience and French. She worked on life-history trade-offs in bean beetles and is now a PhD student at Stanford University at the Mordecai lab. 

Sam Gascoigne'20

Sam majored in Biology and Neurosciences and minored in  Music. He worked on life-history trade-offs in bean beetles and is currently a PhD student at the University of Oxford in the Salguero-Gómez team. 

Hannah Gurholt'20

Hannah majored in Biology and Sociology and Anthropology (SOAN) who worked on sexual selection in waxmoths.  She is now a PhD student at Washington University in St. Louis, with Swanne Gordon and Andres Lopez-Sepulcre. 

Elise Grossman'20

Elise double-majored in Biology and Psychology and worked on sexual selection in bean beetles. She is pursuing a career in Biology education. 

Chris Edomwande'19

Chris majored in Biology and History. He worked on sexual selection and predator avoidance in waxmoths. He is a PhD student in Ecology and Evolution at Cornell University in the Babonis lab. 

Ellie Bacon'19

Ellie majored in Biology and minored in Neuroscience. She worked on bean beetle mating behavior.  She is completing an PhD-DVM dual degree at the University of Illinois. 

Jeannie McDonald'19

Jeannie majored in biology and worked on bean beetle mating behavior. She is currently a PhD student in Ecology and Evolution at Cornell University in the Reed Lab. 

Aaron O'Neill'21

Aaron was a Richter Scholar in the lab on summer 2018. He is pursuing a major in Econ/Finance.