Dowd lab people
I am eager to continuously (re)populate the lab with dedicated, enthusiastic, and creative scientists at all levels, from beginning undergraduates to PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. Please see the News page for additional information about ongoing recruitment efforts.
Undergraduate Students
Ella Purvis (Honors)
Victoria Mackenzie (McNair Scholar)
Addison Fowler (Honors)
Grace Tefft
Graduate Students
I expect to recruit one or more new graduate students during the 2025-2026 admissions cycle, with preference for PhD students. Please contact me if you are interested in pursuing graduate research in the lab and see the SBS graduate studies page for program information. `
Caroline Terry, PhD student (2021-present)
Caroline graduated from the University of Alabama in Spring 2021, earning a BS in Biology and Psychology. While at UA, she studied sex differences and repeatability in the terrestrial jumping performance of a semi-aquatic fish (K. marmoratus). One of her primary interests as a member of our lab is examining the effects of high salinity on cross-tolerance to heat in copepods, including the role of organic osmolytes. She is exploring this interaction using whole-organism and molecular approaches (proteomics and metabolomics).
Murad Jah, PhD student (2024-present)
Murad earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Southern California, where he studied sex-specific metabolism in the supratidal marine copepod Tigriopus californicus. Murad is interested in the stress response in T. californicus and examining how environmental fluctuations impact these organisms. He is currently investigating carryover effects of exposure to salinity and/or temperature extremes early in development. Beyond his research, Murad is an avid rugby player and passionate scuba diver.
Postdoctoral Research Associates
I encourage individuals interested in the lab to contact me about opportunities to apply for external funding sources. Examples of past opportunities, which may or may not be currently active, include the NSF Ocean Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships, as well as the American Physiological Society Postdoctoral Fellowship.
Talia Head, PhD (2025-present)
Talia earned her Ph.D. in 2025 from Colorado State University, where she studied the role of cGMP-dependent protein kinases in regulating molting hormones in decapod crustaceans. Her research interests center on integrating traditional physiological approaches with molecular techniques and bioinformatic analyses. In our lab, Talia is investigating how environmental heterogeneity influences the heat stress response in the California mussel, Mytilus californianus. Her long-term goal is to become a principal investigator leading her own research program, where she can use integrative approaches to examine the relationships between environment, gene expression, and physiology.
Lab alumni – Postdoctoral Fellows
Khuong V. Dinh, Ph.D. (WSU 2019-2020)
Principal Researcher and Senior Lecturer, University of
Oslo, Norway
Richelle Tanner, Ph.D. (WSU 2018-2020)
Assistant Professor, Environmental Science & Policy, Chapman University.
Kathryn M. Anderson, Ph.D. (WSU 2018)
Visiting Assistant Professor, Bates College
Lani U. Gleason, Ph.D. (LMU 2015-2017)
Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Sacramento
Luke P. Miller, Ph.D. (LMU 2015)
Associate Professor, Department of Biology, San Diego State University
Ana G. Jimenez, Ph.D. (LMU 2014-2015)
Associate Professor, Department of Biology, Colgate University
Lab alumni – Graduate Students
Arani Cuevas-Sanchez, M.S. (2018-2020)
“The effects of ecologically relevant stressors on the physiology and behavior of the copepod Tigriopus californicus.” Now at University of Western Ontario, PhD Program.
Andrea (Andi) Delgado, M.S. (2022-2024)
“The effects of sequential and sublethal stress on mussel metabolism and antioxidant capacity.” Now at Memorial University Newfoundland, PhD Program.
Lab alumni – Undergraduate students
An * indicates students who have earned co-authorship on papers or manuscripts in preparation
WSU undergraduates:
Nina Pingel (Zoology ’24); Ryotaro Colon (Environmental Science ’24); Annika Dawley (Biology ’24; Honors thesis; Oregon State MS program); Josie Liebzeit* (Biology ’24); Robert Lee (Biology ’22); Paige Gardner (Biology ’22; UC Santa Cruz PhD program); Asiamay Diaz (Biology ’21; St. George’s University College of Veterinary Medicine); Kyle Hulse (Biology ’21; University of Washington School of Medicine); Thomas LeClair (Biology and Music ’20; Fulbright Scholar to Wales then WSU College of Veterinary Medicine); Autumn Miller* (Biology ’21); Kyle Catey (Biology ’19); Katherine Buhl* (Biology post-baccalaureate ’19; Wayne State University School of Medicine); Savanna Garza (Biology ’19; WSU College of Veterinary Medicine)
LMU undergraduates:
Chase Dugay (Biology ’17; Creighton University College of Medicine); Emma Strand* (Biology ’18; University of Rhode Island Ph.D. program); Brian Hizon* (Biology ’18; Rush University Medical School); Helena Drolshagen (Biology ’18); Jeremiah Dallmer* (Biology ’16; Vanderbilt University School of Medicine); Edward Njoo* (Biochemistry ’18); Shaina Alves* (Biochemistry ’15; University of San Francisco School of Public Health); Jenny Bleck (Biology ’15); Sarah Jayawardene* (Biochemistry ’16; Boston College Ph.D. program in Chemical Biology); Colin Wikholm (Biology ’17); Chandler Weisbart (Biology ’14; LECOM School of Dental Medicine); Selina Roa* (Biology ’14; Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara School of Medicine); Rachael Sears (Environmental Science ’14); Michael Carlone (Biology ’13; Brandeis University Biophysics MS program); Kellen Flanigan (Biology ’13; Colorado State University veterinary school); Terry Rinder (Biology ’12; Midwestern University D.O. program)
PI – W. Wesley (Wes) Dowd
Boeing Distinguished Professor in Science/Math Education, School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University (2025-present)
Associate Professor, School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University (2017-2025)
Associate Professor, Department of Biology, Loyola Marymount University (2016-2017)
Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Loyola Marymount University (2011-2016)
Postdoctoral Fellow, Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University (2009-2011)