Principal Investigator

CHAN, Kin Onn

Assistant Professor and Curator of Vertebrate Collections
Department of Integrative Biology; MSU Museum; Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program, Michigan State University

I am broadly interested in understanding how biodiversity is generated, maintained, and distributed across space and time. When I’m not staring at my computer, I enjoy spending time with my dogs, gardening, photography, cooking, camping, rock climbing, and playing badminton/tennis/pickleball.

Postdoctoral Researcher

Jonathan Hoffman

My research focuses on the role of landscapes and genomics in the complex process of speciation. As ecosystems shift across dynamic landscapes, they alter patterns of contact and isolation among diverging populations, with consequences for gene flow, speciation, and diversification. Central to my work is the hypothesis that geographic and environmental change facilitates secondary contact between species, while genome architecture determines the permeability and evolutionary consequences of that contact. My research program ranges from conservation genomics to ancient biogeography and hybridization across squamate radiations. Outside of the lab, I enjoy reading, hunting, and fishing. I am also a published poet and essayist. 

Madden Haag

My research interests center on cryptic speciation, how biogeography influences patterns of biodiversity, and larger-scale evolutionary questions, including those explored through ecology and the fossil record. I have a particular affinity for squamates and caudates, but in my book, any herp is a good herp. My current research focuses on untangling evolutionary relationships and species boundaries within taxonomically ambiguous species complexes. For my thesis, I am integrating whole-genome sequencing and morphometrics to investigate a complex of arboreal Trimeresurus pit vipers endemic to the Philippine archipelago. Outside of my research, I enjoy field herping, wildlife photography, backpacking, caving, fossil hunting, and music.

Graduate Students

Daniel Kalke

My research interests focus on the ecological and genetic drivers of population persistence in threatened and endangered wildlife. I am particularly interested in the interactions among population genetics, habitat characteristics, and community dynamics, and how these factors influence adaptive capacity and long-term population viability. My goal is to apply these approaches to inform conservation and management of imperiled species. In my free time I enjoy running, trying my best not to mess up a new recipe, and rooting for the Buffalo Bills and West Ham United (Come on you Irons!)

Undergraduate Students

Daniela Carrion Vargas

I’m an undergraduate student studying Environmental Biology/Zoology with a minor in Data Science. I’m interested in evolutionary biology and genomics, especially understanding species relationships, adaptation, and biodiversity. Outside of research, I enjoy traveling, spending time outdoors, trying new foods, and spending time with my dog, Lucy.