I am a third year PhD student studying hybridization in birds in Irby Lovette’s lab. Hybridization is extremely common in nature, and we can use naturally hybridizing organisms to understand speciation–or how and why new species arise. I am currently working on this problem in the northern flicker (Colaptes auratus), a common woodpecker across North America. The northern flicker includes two main subspecies – red-shafted and yellow-shafted flickers – that hybridize in a large hybrid zone from northern Texas to southern Alaska, following the Rocky Mountains. I use a combination of field and molecular methods, but also spend a good deal of time on the computer analyzing data.
Outside of my dissertation research, I’m interested in increasing diversity in the sciences, research on teaching, and mentoring students. I like to spend time with my partner and our dog, cross-stitching, reading comics, and watching movies and TV shows. I tweet about science and life with the handle @s_m_aguillon.