The Lab

Dr. Laura Grieneisen | PI

Laura Grieneisen is an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia Okanagan. Grieneisen joined UBCO in 2022, after completing a Grand Challenges Postdoctoral Fellowship in Ran Blekhman’s lab at the University of Minnesota. She holds a Ph.D from the University of Notre Dame (Beth Archie lab), an M.S. from Bucknell University (DeeAnn Reeder lab), and a B.S. from The College of William & Mary (herbarium assistant).

  • Kim Hinz

    MSC STUDENT

  • Sarah Edwards

    NESTBOX PROJECT MANAGER | SUMMER RESEARCH ASSISTANT

    Sarah is a third year undergraduate student majoring in biology. She has a keen interest in everything biology related and hopes to pursue a career in research. As part of this lab, she has coordinated the construction and installation of nestboxes near campus as part of an initiative to study the local tree swallow population.

  • Sophie Everest

    LAB VOLUNTEER

    Sophie is a fifth year BSc student majoring in microbiology and minoring in psychology at UBC Okanagan. She will be working in the lab to analyze materials and data from the Tree Swallow nestbox project to gain experience in a lab setting and help further valuable research studies. She is hoping to pursue a career in rural medicine following graduation from her degree program.

  • Emily Pynappels

    LAB VOLUNTEER

    I am in my fifth year of my undergrad majoring in microbiology. This year I am volunteering in the WAMS lab to help develop a new metric for measuring early life social behaviour and stress in tree swallow chicks. After I finish my degree I hope to pursue a career in health sciences.

  • Jane Rourke

    HONORS THESIS STUDENT

    Jane is a fourth year BSc student majoring in Biology. For my honours I am analyzing the relationship between gut microbiomes and diet in Northern Saw-whet Owls.

  • You?

    GRADUATE STUDENT

    Do your research interests fit in here? Join the lab!

Lab alumni

Megan Buers. MSc thesis co-supervised (primary supervisor: Dr. Karen Hodges). Are riparian areas thermal refugia for Western Screech-owls?

Max Bailey. Undergrad honors thesis. Diet metabarcoding of Northern saw-whet owls (Aegolius acadicus) in the Okanagan Valley, BC: Sex and age factors on diet.

Kendle Speers. Undergrad honors thesis. Exploring the relationship between social stress and gut microbiome diversity in tree swallows.

Emma Talarico. Undergrad honors thesis. Effects of home range and water source overlap on pathogenic transmission in five baboon social groups.

Rachel Vaz. Undergrad honors thesis. Assessing the Effects of Age, Sex, and Geographical Distribution on Northern Saw-whet Owl Microbiomes over Fall Migration.