Haw Chuan (HC) Lim, Principal Investigator

I am an Associate Professor at the Department of Biology, George Mason University. I received my PhD from Louisiana State University, and worked on my dissertation research in Fred Sheldon's lab (LSU Museum of Natural Science & Biology Department). I then postdoc'ed at University of Illinois, and the Smithsonian Institution (National Museum of Natural History and Center for Conservation Genomics).

I combine field work, molecular lab work and computational analysis in my research. 

Other students whose committees I am on: 

Heather Willis, Biosciences PhD Message in a Bottle: Conservation Genomics in Captive Management of Bottlenecked Species

Madeleine Becker, Biosciences PhD Evolutionary Genomics of Channel Island Peromyscus 

Daya Hall-Stratton, EVPP PhD Species Confirmation, Population Genetics, and Parasites of the Non-native Mystery Snails Heterogen japonica and Cipangopaludina chinensis Within North America

Graduated

Jordan Sims, EVPP PhD

Quentin Jamison, Biology MS

Koushik Ayaluri, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology MS

Graduated: Thesis title: PROTEOME-TRANSCRIPTOME ALIGNMENT OF MOLECULAR PORTRAITS BY SELF-CONTAINED GENE SET ANALYSIS: BREAST CANCER SUBTYPES CASE STUDY

June Kang, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology PhD

Morgan Bragg, ESP PhD - graduated (Spring 2023); Dissertation title: IDENTIFYING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GUT BACTERIA, HOST HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IN THE RED AND MANED WOLF

ESP MS - graduated (Fall 2019); Thesis title: IDENTIFYING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE GUT MICROBIOME AND INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE IN CAPTIVE ADULT RED WOLVES

Karen Holm PhD Candidate (Biosciences)

I have practiced veterinary medicine for 15 years, graduated from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2002. I also hold a Master's of Veterinary Sciences in Conservation Medicine from the University of Edinburgh in 2017. I am currently the Chief Veterinarian/Director of Animal Health and Conservation at the Wildlife Conservation Center in Virginia. This Fall I started the PhD in Biosciences program with a concentration in Biocomplexity and Evolutionary Biology at George Mason University.  My research will involve Next Gen Sequencing (NGS) and the production of a de novo whole genome to be used in population genetics/genomics to reconstruct a pedigree to make more informed decisions and recommendations for ex-situ breeding in hopes to improve the genetic diversity if the in-situ population of endangered species. The Eastern Mountain Bongo, an antelope species from Kenya, will be used as a model species. I will also be participating in the bioinformatics and pedigree reconstruction of the Red Siskin through the Smithsonian Institute as an intern through Spring 2019. 

Lauren Fuchs PhD Candidate (Environmental Science and Policy)

I am a PhD student in the Environment Science and Public Policy Program at George Mason University. I also received my Master’s in Biology from GMU, where my research focused on diseases of amphibians and reptiles in Maryland and Virginia. For my current research, I will be building off of my previous work on ophidiomycosis (a fungal infection that impacts snakes). I am interested in assessing not only for the presence and prevalence of the etiological pathogen, but also the physiological correlates of infection (more specifically, innate immune response). I hope to contribute information that may ultimately be valuable in guiding mitigation strategies, including preventative measures and effective treatments. 

William Brooks PhD Student (Biosciences)

I am interested in the evolution and ecology of birds. I primarily use field, genetic, and community science techniques to study how metapopulation dynamics affect speciation and extinction, and how behavior interfaces with genetics. I received a BS in 2020 from the University of Puget Sound, where I studied song recognition and speciation in a White-crowned Sparrow hybrid zone in Washington State. For my PhD thesis I plan to study how understory, insectivorous birds respond to forest fragmentation in Borneo.

Heather Sibley PhD Student (Biosciences)

Hello! I'm a PhD candidate in Biosciences. My thesis project is on conservation genomics of captive cheetahs and black-footed ferrets, exploring how their historical population size trajectories, multiple bottlenecks, and recent inbreeding have influenced modern population viability, as expressed in deleterious variation and structural variation. Although my focus is on whole genomes in high-profile species of conservation interest, I've also worked with ddRAD data and mitochondrial data from multiple taxa. When I'm not doing analyses, writing papers, or nitpicking details in R graphics, you can find me playing classical piano, spending time with my husband and my dog, or enjoying way too many hobbies. 

Courtney Ring MS Student (Biology)

Hi I’m a masters student in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology concentration! I’m so excited to be joining the GMU genomics lab studying Sage Grouse metagenomics. In my free time I enjoying reading, hiking, cooking, and video games!

Katherine Edmunds MS Student  (Environmental Science and Policy)

I am a Master’s student in the Environmental Science and Policy program, concentrating in Conservation Science and Policy. I received my B.S. in Biology from GMU in 2025, where I participated in various research projects and attended the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation. Currently, my research examines how forest fragmentation may be affecting the diets of insectivorous birds in Borneo using DNA metabarcoding.

Marcus Chua, PhD Candidate (Environmental Science and Policy). Graduated in Summer 2025.

* Marcus is currently the Curator of Mammalia at the Lee Kong Chia Museum, Singapore https://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/staffs/dr-marcus-chua-aik-hwee/ *

I am interested in the evolutionary history, ecology and conservation of mammals in threatened, human-modified, and fragmented landscapes. I completed my BSc(Hon) and MSc from the National University of Singapore (NUS), with my graduate research thesis on the ecology and conservation of leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis) in Singapore, and worked at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, NUS. Currently, I am on the Environmental Science and Public Policy PhD program advised by Drs. T.E. Lovejoy and H.C. Lim, and working on projects studying bats and chevrotains (mouse-deer). 

Jonathan Clark, MS student (Environmental Science and Policy) Link to thesis.

*Currently a postdoc at Cornell University *

I began my graduate studies at GMU in the fall of 2017 and am pursuing a MS in Environmental Science and Policy with a concentration in Conservation Science. I’m interested in how environmental pressures affect the evolution of vertebrate populations and drive speciation. My research is focused on discerning the population genetic structure of two parapatric avian subspecies across their contact zone to discern their evolutionary relationship. Specifically, I'm using restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) methods to characterize the genome of a specialized coastal subspecies of the song sparrow complex (Passerellidae: Melospiza melodia) to determine if interbreeding with a neighboring generalist subspecies occurs. The aim of my work is to discern what makes this specialist population distinct genetically, evaluate its evolutionary relationship to other members of its complex, and ultimately provide evidence that this subspecies originates from parapatric divergence driven by disruptive ecological selection. 

Kelsey "Kels" Schoenemann UVA PhD student (Department of Environmental Sciences)

Kelsey is a NSF NRT EXPAND fellow conducting research in the Lim lab (advised by David Carr, UVA) to study how human land use decisions impact bumble bee (Bombus spp.) fitness and pollen foraging. Their research of captive and wild bumble bees combines field observations, spatial datasets, and molecular genetics to explore the linkages between land use, foraging, and fitness. Link: https://expand.virginia.edu/expand-fellows

Mia Keady MS Student (Biology) - Graduated in Spring 2020. Successfully defended her thesis: Impact of zoo facility and health metrics on the microbiome of captive African and Asian elephants.

*Currently a postdoc at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

I am a Biology Master’s student at George Mason University.  I am interested in the intersection of how microorganisms impact the lives of larger organisms.  My research involves studying the gut microbiome of elephants and its relationship to major health concerns in captivity.  I hope to contribute to improving wellbeing in elephants and further explore the connections between the gut microbiome and the health of a species.  I am co-advised by Dr. H.C. Lim of GMU and Dr. Carly Muletz Wolz of the Smithsonian Institution (NZP, Conservation Genomics Lab).

David Lambrecht MS Student (Biology) - Graduated in Spring 2020. Successfully defended his thesis: Prevalence and cross infection of DNA and RNA pathogens of honey bees, bumble bees, and mason bees.

I am a graduate student completing a Masters of Science in Biology with a concentration in Evolutionary Biology. I also attended George Mason for an undergraduate degree in Biology with a concentration in microbiology. I was a member of the rowing team at George Mason for 4 years.