Emily Lescak 2015-2018

Emily Lescak’s research focused on how host genetic background and gut microbiota interact to influence development and behavior in the host. She received an NSF broadening participation postdoctoral fellowship to study the effects of exposure to environmentally-relevant levels of antibiotics on somatic, immune system, and behavioral development in stickleback. In her graduate work, she used behavior experiments, morphological analyses, and population genetics to address questions focused on the stability of phenotypic asymmetry and bimodality in wild populations, the role of predators in shaping prey phenotype, the rate of evolution in the wild, and co-evolution of the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. She worked for Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and is now doing independent consulting work for various agencies.