Nicholas A. Mason
Assistant Professor and Curator of Birds
Nick is a biodiversity scientist interested in the ecological and evolutionary forces that underlie avian diversification, both in terms of speciation and phenotypic diversity. Nick has broad interests within ornithology, including systematics and taxonomy, color and song evolution, biogeography, natural history, and conservation. While his interests are broad, all of Nick's research involves museum collections, and he is dedicated to their growth and sustainability. Nick is also engaged with teaching and outreach to educate the broader public and increase general awareness and appreciation of biodiveristy and conservation issues.

Diego Ocampo
Postdoctoral Researcher
Diego has broad interest in understanding the evolutionary process that has led to diverse bird morphs and behaviors, especially in Neotropical birds. More specifically, Diego uses museum-based research and bioinformatic tools to look at the population structure, the genomic architecture of adaptive traits, as well as the behavioral and ecological factors that drive the divergence of phenotypes. Diego is currently focusing on the mode and tempo of trait evolution across the genus Sporophila.

Ashish Jha
Postdoctoral Researcher
Ashish is a an Engineer turned Ornithologist. After his UG and PG in Biotechnology, Dr. Jha pursued a PhD in Ornithology. His doctoral research was centered on southern India endemic, and globally threatened, Yellow-throated Bulbul (Pycnonotus xantholaemus), more specifically the biogeographic history, population connectivity, and habitat suitability model of this species. Ashish has joined the Mason Lab on a 9-month Fullbright Fellowship and will be testing the core-periphery hypothesis with North American birds.

David Vander Pluym
PhD Student
David is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz with a Bachelor of Sciences in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. He has worked for several non profits along the lower Colorado River conducting research on riparian breeders and the ecology of Elf Owls. During this time he also conducted independent research on avian migration along the Colorado River. David’s research interests include how avian migration relates to biogeography, systematics, and the impacts of climate change on these systems.

Samantha L. Rutledge
PhD Student
Graduating from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in General Biology, Samantha has conducted research on avian brood parasitism and gregariousness, completing two internships through the University of Virginia and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Her current research interests encompass the impact of climate change on avian evolution and conservation; the origin, structure, and function of avian iridescence; and the potential biomimetic technologies stemming from avian feather structure.

Quinn McCallum
PhD Student
Quinn graduated from the University of British Columbia with an Honours in Evolutionary Biology, where he studied genomic divergence and mitochondrial introgression between White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows. Quinn is broadly interested in diversification, biogeography, and integrative taxonomy. Currently, he is studying the comparative phylogeography of birds inhabiting Andean sky islands. Quinn is also a trained illustrator and is passionate about connecting people and birds through outreach and community science.

Amanda Harvey
PhD Student
Amanda Harvey graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Conservation Biology, and worked within the university’s Biodiversity Research Teaching Collections. Prior to joining as a PhD student, Amanda working in the Mason Lab as a postbaccalaureate scholar through the NSF LAGniAppE program. Amanda is broadly interested in population genetics, speciation, ecotoxicology and the effects of anthropogenic change on population dynamics and distributions.

Brett Kincade
Postbaccalaureate Scholar
Brett is interested in phylogenetics and the morphological and genetic changes o birds over time. He is interested in comparative phylogeography, integrative taxonomy, and avian systematics. A New Orleans native, Brett has joined the Mason Lab as a postbaccalaureate scholar through the NSF LAGniAppE program, during which he is studying the phylogeography of Geospizopsis tanagers.

Melissa Salazar
Postbaccalaureate Scholar
Melissa is interested in ornithology, ecotoxicology, and urban ecology. Originally from Arlington, Melissa joined the Mason Lab via the NSF LAGniAppE program and will be studying trends in heavy metal contamination in King and Clapper Rails across an ecological gradient.