Two EEB Presidential Postdoctoral Fellows poised for interdisciplinary collaboration
Two early-career scholars bringing integrative research collaborations across three disciplines and Kellogg Biological Station, as well as thoughtful proposals for community engagement, will be the next MSU Presidential Postdoctoral Fellows in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior.
Chia Hsieh and Teresa Pegan will be the 2024-2025 academic year fellows, announced EEB Director Elise Zipkin. This marks the fourth cohort in a successful program that has increased the breadth and potential of research embracing ecology, evolution, and behavior at MSU
“As we welcome our fourth group of presidential postdocs we are settling into the great position of building upon fantastic success,” Zipkin said. “Welcoming outstanding researchers to the MSU EEB community will continue what is becoming a tradition of stimulating and exciting collaboration, innovation, and inclusivity.”
Hsieh is finishing doctoral work at the Rice University Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology as a broad-thinking ecologist. Her work uses large datasets to investigate the ecological and evolutionary processes shaping spatial patterns of biodiversity. Her proposed work at MSU will integrate community ecology in evolution to study patterns of bird biodiversity, working with Elise Zipkin in integrative biology and Fred Janzen at Kellogg Biological Station in the departments of fisheries and wildlife and integrative biology.
Hsieh’s community engagement initiative will include a monthly journal club bridging ecology and evolution, along with workshops on quantitative tools in community ecology.
Pegan, who recently received her PhD from the University of Michigan Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, is an integrative evolutionary biologist. Her doctoral research focused on how seasonal migration affects life history and genomic evolution in North American songbirds. Her proposed research at MSU will use spatial population genomics to investigate the evolution of migration in the zone of transition between tropical and temperate latitudes in North America, where migration emerges as a seasonal adaptation in populations faced with temperate winters. Pegan will work with Sarah Fitzpatrick and Anne Bronikowski, both at the Kellogg Biological Station in integrative biology, and with Emily Josephs in plant biology.
Pegan’s community engagement initiative will involve a journal club for EEB members, with a particular focus on the emerging challenges and opportunities of comparing ecological and evolutionary data across many species simultaneously.
“MSU’s EEB program continues to foster innovative community-engaged scholarship across the fields of ecology, evolution, and behavior,” said MSU Interim Provost Thomas Jeitschko. “We are excited to welcome Chia and Teresa to the university as they embark upon their collaborative and cross-disciplinary research with MSU scholars.”
The MSU Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior is funded through a joint effort initiated by the provost, the vice president for research and innovation, the graduate school, the College of Natural Science, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the College of Engineering. The fellowship aims to continue building academic excellence within the EEB program through innovative, integrative research and community service.
The fellowship search committee was comprised of faculty members Lars Brudvig, Fred Janzen, Emily Josephs, and Kevin Liu, postdoc Ashwini Ramesh, and PhD student Cynthia Fiser.
Additional information can be found on the EEB website.
