Our Commitment to Inclusion and Diversity

The Mims Lab is committed to fostering, facilitating, and promoting successful, fulfilling careers for all members including individuals from groups traditionally underrepresented and excluded from science. We aim to achieve this through cultivating an inclusive and collaborative work environment that values mentoring, open communication, and shared opportunity. We celebrate the ways in which our differences make us who we are and help us advance scientific research, conservation, outreach, and education. Our goal is to provide a safe and equitable environment for individuals of all identities - seen and unseen. We prioritize and strive to achieve:

Respectful and transparent communication
Cooperation, teamwork, and participation from all team members
Recruiting and mentoring of individuals from all backgrounds and identities
Inclusive and student-centered professional development opportunities
Respecting and celebrating our interests and lives outside the lab
Conducting ourselves according to Virginia Tech’s Principles of Community
Continued efforts to learn and improve as collaborators, mentors, and humans through training and feedback

Meet the members of the Mims Lab!

Principal Investigator

Meryl C. Mims, PhD

Meryl is an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Virginia Tech. She is also an affiliated faculty member with VT's Global Change Center. Meryl completed her Master's (2010) and PhD (2015) at the University of Washington in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. She then served as a Mendenhall Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the U.S. Geological Survey in Corvallis, Oregon, before joining the faculty at Virginia Tech.

M.C. Mims Curriculum Vitae

postdoctoral researchers

dR. Joe Drake

Joe Drake joined the Mims Lab in Fall of 2021. He is interested in the intersection of landscape connectivity and population dynamics, bringing conservation, management, and spatial ecological theory into more holistic approaches. He received his PhD (2021) at UMass - Amherst and his M.Sc. (2016) from Texas Tech University. He joins the SMARTSIM project and is excited to work with multiple stakeholders on critical conservation issues.

Graduate Students

Sam Silknetter

Sam Silknetter is a PhD candidate in the Mims Lab and joined our team in January 2019. His research is part of the NSF funded StreamCLIMES project, a collaborative team whose goal is to investigate how drying affects stream ecosystems in different climates across the southern United States. Specifically, Sam is using landscape genetics/genomics to understand how aquatic invertebrates respond to stream drying. Sam received a B.S. in Ecology at Susquehanna University in 2014, where his undergraduate research focused on the response of fish and benthic macroinvertebrate taxa to severe flooding. Sam then worked for an environmental consulting firm focused on wetland conservation and herpetology before pursuing his M.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology at Clemson University. His Master’s research focused on positive species interactions in both fisheries and broader freshwater systems.

Grace o’malley

Grace began her PhD in the lab in Fall 2021. She graduated from Allegheny College in 2020 with a B. S. in biology. During her time there, she worked on various projects, including monitoring the health of local waterways and working with the PA Fish and Boat commission on identifying suitable streams for brook trout reintroduction. She is excited work with amphibians and learning new skill sets!

Research scientists

erin crone

Erin joined the lab in Fall 2023 as a Research Scientist. Her research is part of a collaborative effort to assess the vulnerability of U.S. vertebrates to climate change. Erin received her B.S. in Environmental Science from Bellarmine University and her M.S. in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology from Colorado State University. Her Master’s research focused on understanding the many roles of invasive species within urban food webs. She especially enjoys working with amphibians and reptiles, and is excited to play a role in finding conservation solutions for imperiled species.

undergraduate researchers

MONTY COPELAND

Monty is currently a sophomore at Virginia Tech taking the biomedical route for a bachelor's degree in microbiology. He has two minors: Adaptive Brain and Human Behavior, and Chinese Studies. Genetics plays a major part in understanding the functionality and capabilities of an organism, and Monty enjoys studying population genetics as it pertains to an organism's ability to both evolve and change in its environment. He is pursuing a career in infectious disease or genetics. In his free time, Monty enjoys playing video games, studying foreign politics, studying linguistics, and trying new foods. He is excited to be part of the 2024 Mims Lab team.

brianna corder

Brianna is a junior who joined the Mims lab in Fall 2023 who is currently working towards a Bachelor's degree in Wildlife Conservation. She is currently working with landscape genetics of invasive species using software to conduct systematic literature review. Her current area of interest is endangered mammals and plans to work with them in the future. In her free time, she likes to play video games, read, and play with her three cats.

Alana Harris

Alana is a junior who just joined the Mims Lab Spring 2024 and is currently working toward a bachelor's degree in Biology. Alana is also pursuing a minor in Creative Writing. She is extremely excited to be a part of the Mims Lab lab this semester and looks forward to doing research on understanding how we use genetics to help manage invasive species. Her interests are broad, and she is interested in infectious disease ecology, behavioral ecology, and ecosystem ecology. In her free time, she enjoys playing Minecraft, writing books, doing nature photography, and exercising.

Jocelyn Perry

Jocelyn is a junior pursuing a bachelor's degree in wildlife conservation. She is working with the Mims Lab to understand the use of genetics in improving the management of invasive species through a systematic literature review. Her current interests include endangered species and using genetics and physiology to help understand their status. She especially enjoys working with mammals and fish. In her free time, Jocelyn also loves to ski and camp.

Trinity Williams

Trinity is a sophomore who joined the Mims Lab in Spring 2024 and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Biology. She is enthusiastic to be apart of the Mims Lab team and broadening her knowledge of invasive species and genetics research. Her research interests are undecided but include using genetics to aid in conservation efforts. In her free time, she thoroughly enjoys thrifting, drawing, and traveling.

The Lab’s Lab

ash

Ash is Meryl & Scott’s Labrador retriever. She joined the lab in May 2020 and loves nothing more than days on the river & trails. Her hobbies include tennis (balls) and splashing in streams. She’s happy to lend a hand in the field, accept belly rubs, and lift spirits whenever it’s required!

Lab Alumni

2023: Dr. Chloe Moore: PhD - Defended in April 2023

Dr. Traci DuBose: Postdoc - Now an ORISE USFS Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Amanda Hyman: Postdoc - Now a Foreign Species Biologist with the USFWS

Dr. Daryl Trumbo: Postdoc - Now an Assistant Professor at Colorado State University, Pueblo

Jessica Dade, Jonas Guilliano, Emma Levon, Mason Maurer, Madeline Potter, Charlotte Tury, Isabella Adamo,

Triniti Baskar: Undergrad Researchers

2022: Vj. Catalan, Kris Lawhorn, Danyal Rashid, Divya Singh: Undergrad Researchers

2021: Yarelis Martinez, Tess Alexander, Mallory Fields, Howard Dunleavy: Undergrad Researchers

2020: Elizabeth Shadle, M.S.: Master’s Student - Now with Gulf Islands National Seashore

Mackenzi Hallmark: Undergrad Researcher and Technician

Jacob Helmann, Mackenzi Hallmark, Tora Decker Griffith, Shahdin Ghaffari: Undergrad Researchers

2019: Dr. Val Buxton: Postdoc

Kara Hall, Sabine St. Amour, Alexis “AJ” Jackson, Georgia Boley, Ashley Fitzgerald: Undergrad Researchers

2018: Dr. Jen Smith: Postdoc - Now an Assistant Professor at UTSA

Ye Chen, London Hughes, Janhvi Shah, Tara Tavakolian, Noah Wax: Undergraduate Researchers

2017: Steffany Yamada: Lab Manager - Now the Lab Manager for The Langwig Lab at VT

the lab through the years

Fall 2022. Back (L - R) Mason Maurer, Charlotte Tury, Madeline Potter, Kristopher (Kris) Lawhorn, Grace O’Malley, Jessica Dade, Dr. Daryl Trumbo; Front (L - R): Jonas Guilliano, Chloe Moore. Not pictured: PI Mims (on parental leave!); Drs. Joe Drake, Amanda Hyman, and Traci DuBose; Sam Silknetter.

Spring 2022 (*Not pictured: postdoc Dr. Traci DuBose; undergraduate researchers Vj. Catalan, Charlotte Tury, Divya Singh, Jessica Dade, and Danyal Rashid*)