Overview

Most complex lifeforms – humans, animals, plants, and even unicelluar eukaryotes – are dependent on at least two genomes to generate their cellular energy: nuclear and mitochondrial. It is absolutely essential that the intricate interactions between gene products encoded by these two genomes remain in sync. Otherwise, organismal health and fitness decreases drastically.

​Our research explores the evolution of such cytonuclear interactions, which has implications for a wide range of topics that are of general interest to biologists. These include the origin of the eukaryotes, endosymbiosis, the ultimate cause of sexual reproduction, why organisms age, how speciation occurs, and environmental adaptation, to name a few. 

Ongoing Projects include:

Causes and consequences of mitochondrial mutations

Cytonuclear coevolution

Roles of cytoplasmic genomes during speciation

​Mitochondrial function and environmental adaptation

Anchialine ecology and evolution

66. Iverson ENK, Crisswell A, Havird JC. Stronger evidence for relaxed selection than adaptive evolution in high-elevation animal mtDNA. Accepted to Molecular Biology and Evolution.

65. Smith CH, Mejia-Trujillo R, Havird JC. 2024. Mitonuclear compatibility is maintained despite relaxed selection on male mitochondrial DNA in bivalves with doubly uniparental inheritance. Evolution 78: 1790–1803.

64. Zwonitzer KD, Tressel LG, Wu Z, Kan SL, Broz AK, Mower JP, Ruhlman TA, Jansen RK, Sloan DB, Havird JC. 2024. Genome copy number predicts extreme evolutionary rate variation in plant mitochondrial DNA. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 121: e2317240121.

63. Moran BM, Payne CY, Powell DL, Iverson ENK, Banerjee SM, Langdon QK, Gunn TR, Liu F, Matney R, Singhal K, Leib RD, Hernandez-Perez O, Corbett-Detig R, Schartl M, Havird JC, Schumer M. 2024. A Lethal Genetic Incompatibility between Naturally Hybridizing Species in Mitochondrial Complex I. Nature 626: 119-127.

62. LaJeunesse TC, Thornhill D, Havird JC, Halanych KM, Coffroth MA. 2023. Scott Ross Santos (1972-2024): A force for good in the exploration of ecology and evolution. The Biological Bulletin 245:117-119.

61. Smith CH, Mejia-Trujillo R, Breton S, Pinto BJ, Kirkpatrick M, Havird JC. 2023. Mitonuclear sex determination in bivalves? Empirical evidence from freshwater mussels. Molecular Biology and Evolution 40(11):msad240.

60. Zwonitzer KD*, Iverson ENK*, Sterling JJ, Weaver RJ, Maclaine BA, Havird JC. 2023. Disentangling positive vs. relaxed selection in animal mitochondrial genomes. The American Naturalist 202: E121-E129. *these authors contributed equally to this work

59. Pinto BJ, Gamble T, Smith CH, Keating SE, Havird JC, Chiari Y. 2023. The revised reference genome of the leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) provides insight into the considerations of genome phasing and assembly. Journal of Heredity 114:513-520.

58. Smith CH, Pinto BJ, Kirkpatrick M, Hillis DM, Pfeiffer JM, Havird JC. 2023. A tale of two paths: The evolution of mitochondrial recombination in bivalves with doubly uniparental inheritance. Journal of Herediity 114:199-206.

57. Weaver RJ, Rabinowitz S, Thueson K, Havird JC. 2022. Genomic signatures of mitonuclear coevolution in mammals. Molecular Biology and Evolution 39(11): msac233.

56. Havird JC, Brannock PM, Yoshioka RM, Vaught RC, Carlson K, Edwards C, Tracy A, Twining CW, Zheng Y, Wilson AE, Hairston Jr. NG, Santos SR. 2022. Grazing by an endemic atyid shrimp controls microbial communities in the Hawaiian anchialine ecosystem. Limnology and Oceanography 67: 2012-2027.

55. Sterling JJ, Sakihara TS, Brannock PM, Pearson Z, Maclaine KD, Santos SR, Havird JC. 2022. Primary microbial succession in the anchialine ecosystem. Integrative and Comparative Biology 62: 275-287. *Featured cover article

54. Breton S, Stewart DT, Brémaud J, Havird JC, Smith CH, Hoeh WR. 2022. Did doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI) of mtDNA originate as a cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) system? BioEssays 44, e2100283.

53. Xu R, Iannello M, Havird JC, Milani L, Ghiselli F. 2022. Lack of transcriptional coordination between mitochondrial and nuclear oxidative phosphorylation genes in the presence of two divergent mitochondrial genomes. Zoological Research 43: 111−128.

52. Maclaine KD, Stebbings KA, Llano DA, Havird JC. 2021. The mtDNA mutation spectrum in the PolG mutator mouse reveals germline and somatic selection. BMC Genomic Data 22:52.

51. Maeda G*, Iannello M*, McConie HJ, Ghiselli F, Havird JC. 2021. Relaxed selection on male mitochondrial genes in DUI bivalves eases the need for mitonuclear coevolution. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 34, 1722– 1736. *these authors contributed equally to this work. *Featured cover article.

50. Waneka G, Svendsen JM, Havird JC, Sloan DB. 2021. Mitochondrial mutations in Caenorhabditis elegans show signatures of oxidative damage and an AT-bias. Genetics 219(2). doi:10.1093/genetics/iyab116

49. Zhang B*, Havird JC*, Wang E, Lv J, Xu X. 2021. Massive gene rearrangement in mitogenomes of phytoseiid mites. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 186: 33–39. *these authors contributed equally to this work

48. Piccinini G, Iannello M, Puccio G, Plazzi F, Havird JC, Ghiselli F. 2021. Mitonuclear coevolution, but not nuclear compensation, drives evolution of OXPHOS complexes in bivalves. Molecular Biology and Evolution 38: 2597–2614.

47. Shah A, Woods H, Havird JC, Encalada A, Flecker A, Funk W, Guayasamin JM, Kondratieff B, Poff NL, Thomas S, Zamudio K, Ghalambor C. 2020. Temperature-dependence of metabolic rate in tropical and temperate aquatic insects: support for the Climate Variability Hypothesis in mayflies but not stoneflies. Global Change Biology 21: 297–311.

46. Weaver RJ, Carrion G, Nix R, Maeda G, Rabinowitz S, Iverson ENK, Thueson K, Havird JC. 2020. High mitochondrial mutation rates in Silene are associated with nuclear-mediated changes in mitochondrial physiology. Biology Letters 16: 20200450.

45. Iverson ENK, Nix R, Abebe A, Havird JC. 2020. Thermal responses differ across levels of biological organization. Integrative and Comparative Biology 60: 361–374.

44. Hoffman SK, Seitz KW, Havird JC, Weese DA, Santos SR. 2020. Phenotypic comparability from genotypic variability among physically structured microbial consortia. Integrative and Comparative Biology 60: 288–303.

43. Weaver RJ, Gonzalez B, Santos SR, Havird JC. 2020. Red coloration in an anchialine shrimp: carotenoids, genetic variation, and candidate genes. Biological Bulletin 238: 119–130. *Featured cover article.

42. Havird JC, Neuwald JL, Shah AA, Mauro A, Marshall CA, Ghalambor CK. 2020. Distinguishing between active plasticity due to thermal acclimation and passive plasticity due to Q10 effects: Why methodology matters. Functional Ecology 34: 1015-1028.

41. Havird JC, Meyer E, Fujita Y, Vaught RC, Henry RP, Santos SR. 2019. Disparate physiological and transcriptomic responses to variability in environmental salinity among shrimps representing independent invasions of the anchialine ecosystem. Journal of Experimental Biology 222(Pt 24). pii: jeb211920.

40. Havird JC, Shah AA, Chicco AJ. 2019. Powerhouses in the cold: Mitochondrial function during thermal acclimation in montane mayflies. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 375: 20190181.

39. Forsythe ES, Sharbrough J, Havird JC, Warren JM, Sloan DB. 2019. CyMIRA: The Cytonuclear Molecular Interactions Reference for Arabidopsis. Genome Biology and Evolution 11: 2194–2202.

38. Havird JC, Noe GR, Logan D, Link L, Torres A, Sloan DB, Chicco AJ. 2019. Do angiosperms with highly divergent mitochondrial genomes have altered mitochondrial function? Mitochondrion49:1-11.

37. Havird JC, Weaver RJ, Milani L, Ghiselli F, Greenway R, Ramsey AJ, Jimenez AG, Dowling DK, Hood WR, Montooth KL, Estes S, Schulte PM, Sokolova IM, Hill GE. 2019. Beyond the powerhouse: integrating mitonuclear evolution, physiology, and theory in comparative biology. Integrative and Comparative Biology59:856–863.

36. Havird JC, McConie HJ. 2019. Sexually antagonistic mitonuclear coevolution in duplicate oxidative phosphorylation genes. Integrative and Comparative Biology59(4):864-874.

35. Havird JC, Forsythe ES, Williams AM, Werren JH, Dowling DK, Sloan DB. 2019. Selfish mitonuclear conflict. Current Biology 29: R496-R511.

34. Hill GE, Havird JC, Sloan DB, Burton RS, Greening C, Dowling DK. 2019. Assessing the fitness consequences of mitonuclear interactions in natural populations. Biological Reviews 94: 1089-1104.

​33. Sloan DB, Warren J, Abdel-Ghany S, Chicco A, Williams A, Wu Z, Havird JC. 2018. Cytonuclear integration and coevolution. Nature Reviews Genetics 19: 635-648.

​32. Hoffman SK, Seitz KW, Havird JC, Weese DA, Santos SR. 2018. Seasonal influences on diversity and community structure of Bacteria and micro-Eukarya from the Hawaiian anchialine ecosystem. Aquatic Microbial Ecology 82: 87-104.

​31. Hoffman SK, Seitz KW, Havird JC, Weese DA, Santos SR. 2018. Diversity and the environmental drivers of spatial variation in Bacteria and micro-Eukarya communities from the Hawaiian anchialine ecosystem. Hydrobiologia 806:265-282.

​30. Sharbrough J*, Havird JC*, Noe GR, Warren JM, Sloan DB. 2017. The mitonuclear dimension of Neanderthal and Denisovan ancestry in modern human genomes. Genome Biology and Evolution 9:1567-1581. *these authors contributed equally to this work

​29. Havird JC, Trapp P, Miller C, Bazos I, Sloan DB. 2017. Causes and consequences of rapidly evolving mtDNA in a plant lineage. Genome Biology and Evolution 9:323-336.

​28. Sloan DB, Havird JC, Sharborough J. 2017. The on-again, off-again relationship between mitochondrial genomes and species boundaries. Molecular Ecology 26:2212-2236.

​27. Rockenbach K, Havird JC, Monroe JG, Triant DA, Taylor DR, Sloan DB. 2016. Positive selection in rapidly evolving plastid-nuclear enzyme complexes. Genetics 204:1507-1522.

​26. Havird JC, Sloan DB. 2016. The roles of mutation, selection, and expression in determining relative rates of evolution in mitochondrial vs. nuclear genomes. Molecular Biology and Evolution 33:3042-3053.

​25. Havird JC, Santos SR. 2016. Here we are, but where do we go? A systematic review of crustacean transcriptomic studies from 2014-2015. Integrative and Comparative Biology 56:1055-1066.

​24. Havird JC, Santos SR. 2016. Developmental transcriptomics of the Hawaiian anchialine shrimp Halocaridina rubra Holthuis, 1963 (Crustacea: Atyidae). Integrative and Comparative Biology 56:1170-1182. *Featured cover article.

​23. Havird JC, Mitchell RT, Henry RP, Santos SR. 2016. Salinity-induced changes in gene expression from anterior and posterior gills of Callinectes sapidus(Crustacea: Portunidae) with implications for crustacean ecological genomics. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part D: Genomics and Proteomics 19:34-44.

​22. Havird JC, Fitzpatrick SW, Kronenberger JA, Angeloni LM, Funk WC, Sloan DB. 2016. Sex, mitochondria, and genetic rescue. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 31:96-99.

21. Havird JC, Whitehill NS, Snow CD, Sloan DB. 2015. Conservative and compensatory evolution in oxidative phosphorylation complexes of angiosperms with highly divergent rates of mitochondrial genome evolution. Evolution 69:3069-3081.

20. Havird JC, Vaught RC, Weese DA, Santos SR. 2015. Reproduction and development in Halocaridina rubra (Crustacea: Atyidae) clarifies larval ecology in the Hawaiian anchialine ecosystem. Biological Bulletin 229:134-142.

19. Sloan DB, Fields PD, Havird JC. 2015. Mitonuclear linkage disequilibrium in human populations. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 282:20151704.

18. Havird JC, Hall M, Dowling DK. 2015. The evolution of sex: A new hypothesis based on mitochondrial mutational erosion. BioEssays 37:951-958.

17. Havird JC, Kocot KM, Brannock PM, Cannon JT, Waits DS, Weese DA, Santos SR, Halanych KM. 2015. Reconstruction of cyclooxygenase evolution in animals suggests variable, lineage-specific duplications and homologs with low sequence identity.Journal of Molecular Evolution 80:193-208.

16. Havird JC, Henry RP, Fujita Y, Hidaka M, Santos SR. T2014. aking their breath away: Metabolic adaptations to low-oxygen levels in anchialine shrimps (Crustacea: Atyidae and Alpheidae). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A: Molecular and Integrative Physiology 178:109-120.

15. Havird JC, Santos SR. 2014. Transcriptomic resources for five shrimp (Crustacea: Atyidae and Alpheidae) species from the anchialine ecosystem. Molecular Ecology Resources 14:1322.

14. Vaught RC, Havird JC, Santos SR. 2014. Genetic lineage and environmental conditions as drivers of chromatosome variation in the anchialine shrimp Halocaridina rubra Holthuis 1963 (Atyidae: Decapoda). Journal of Crustacean Biology 34:647-657.

13. Havird JC, Henry RP, Santos SR. 2014. Osmoregulatory adaptations in the Hawaiian anchialine shrimp Halocaridina rubra (Crustacea: Atyidae): expression of ion transporters, mitochondria-rich cell proliferation, and hemolymph osmolality during salinity transfers. Journal of Experimental Biology 217:2309-2320.

12. Havird JC, Santos SR. 2014. Performance of single and concatenated sets of mitochondrial genes at inferring metazoan relationships relative to full mitogenome data. PLoS One 9:e84080.

11. Havird JC, Weeks JR, Hau S, Santos SR. 2013. Invasive species in the Hawaiian anchialine ecosystem: investigating potential predation on endemic organisms.Hydrobiologia 716:189-201. *Featured cover article

10. Havird JC, Henry RP, Wilson AE. 2013. Altered expression of Na+/K+-ATPase and other osmoregulatory genes in the gills of euryhaline animals in response to salinity transfer: A meta-analysis of 59 quantitative PCR studies over 10 years.Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part D: Genomics and Proteomics 8:131-140.

9. Parker JK, Havird JC, De La Fuente L. 2012. Differentiation of Xylella fastidiosastrains via multi-locus sequence analysis of environmentally-mediated genes (MLSA-E). Applied and Environmental Microbiology 76:1385–1396.

8. Havird JC, Parker JK, Connery B. 2011. Fishes of the Streams of Acadia National Park, Maine. Northeastern Naturalist 18:217–228.

7. Havird JC, Tangjitjaroen W, Vidthayanon C, Grudpan C, Udduang S, Page LM. 2010. A new species of Lepidocephalichthys with a highly distinctive lamina circularis and comments on sexual dimorphism and relationships in southern lineages of Cobitidae. Zootaxa 2557:1–18. *Most accessed Zootaxa paper during August 2010.

6. Havird JC, Miyamoto MM. 2010. The importance of taxon sampling in genomic studies: An example from the cyclooxygenases of teleost fishes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 56:451–455.

5. Havird JC, Page LM. 2010. A revision of Lepidocephalichthys (Teleostei: Cobitidae) with descriptions of two new species from Thailand and Myanmar. Copeia2010(1):137–159.

4. Havird JC, Miyamoto MM, Choe KP, Evans DH. 2008. Gene duplications and losses within the cyclooxygenase family of teleosts and other chordates.Molecular Biology and Evolution 25:2349–59.

3. Claiborne JB, Choe KP, Morrison–Shetlar AI, Weakley JC, Havird J, Freiji A, Evans DH, Edwards SL. 2008. Molecular detection and immunological localization of gill Na+/H+ exchanger in the dogfish (Squalus acanthias). American Journal of Physiology 294:R1092–R1102.

2. Hyndman KA, Choe KP, Havird JC, Rose RE, Piermarini PM, Evans DH. 2006. Neuronal nitric oxide synthase in the gill of the killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus.Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 144B:510–9.

1. Choe KP, Havird J, Rose RE, Hyndman KH, Piermarini P, Evans DH. 2006. COX2 in a euryhaline teleost, Fundulus heteroclitus: primary sequence, distribution, localization, and potential function in gills during salinity acclimation. Journal of Experimental Biology 209(9):1696–708.

UT College of Natural Sciences Mentoring Excellence Award

35. Havird JC, Greig KA, Chapman Tripp H, York JM, Mijango-Ramos Z, Sterling JJ¹, Iverson ENK¹, Belasen AM, Dubie JJ, Xu T, Kasgari B, Weaver RJ. 2025. Are studies with big, significant results cited more? Citation bias in ecology and evolution. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, USA.   

34. Havird JC, Dubie JJ, Smith CH, Mejia-Trujillo R, Forsythe ES. 2024. Mitonuclear coevolution as a rule for eukaryotic life. 3^rd Joint Congress on Evolutionary Biology, Montreal, QC, Canada.

33. Havird JC, Smith CH, Sterling JJ¹. 2023. Mitonuclear discordance, population genomics, and thermal adaptation in the Hawaiian volcano shrimp. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Annual Meeting, Austin, TX, USA.

32. Havird JC, Sterling JJ¹, Perales H, Zwonitzer KD¹, Smith CH. 2022. Molecular ecology, genomics, and physiology of Halocaridina rubra. 5^th International Symposium on Anchialine Ecosystems, Kailua-Kona, HI, USA.  

31. Havird JC, Maeda G¹, Maclaine KZ¹. 2021. Selection (or lack thereof) on mitochondrial genes in animals: tales from bivalves, electric fishes, snakes, and elephants. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Annual Meeting, held virtually.   

30. Havird JC, Noe GR, Link L, Torres A, Sloan DB. 2018. Do mitonuclear interactions prevent hybridization in a lineage with a history of mitonuclear coevolution? Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Annual Meeting, San Francsico, CA, USA. 

29. Havird JC, Shah AA, Chicco AJ. 2017. Mitochondrial function during thermal acclimation in montane mayflies. Guild of Rocky Mountain Ecologists and Evolutionary Biologists Annual Meeting, Nederland, CO, USA.

28. Havird JC, Sloan DB. 2017. Do mitochondria create species boundaries or ignore them? Evidence from a plant lineage with fast-evolving mtDNA. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, USA. 

27. Havird JC, Sloan DB. 2016. Do mitochondria create species boundaries or ignore them?
 Evidence from a plant lineage with fast-evolving mtDNA. Guild of Rocky Mountain Ecologists and Evolutionary Biologists Annual Meeting, Gothic, CO, USA.

26. Havird JC. 2016. Selection on the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes during domestication. Genomics of Adaptation to Human Contexts Symposium, Fort Collins, CO, USA.

25. Havird JC, Sloan DB. 2016. Coevolution between nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Annual Meeting, Portland, OR, USA. 

24. Havird JC. 2015. Mitochondria and the origins of sex and speciation. Guild of Rocky Mountain Ecologists and Evolutionary Biologists Annual Meeting, Nederland, CO, USA.

23. Havird JC, Mitchell RT, Henry RP, Santos SR. 2015. The evolution of alternative osmoregulatory responses in the Crustacea. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Annual Meeting, West Palm Beach, FL, USA. 

22. Havird JC, Henry RP, Santos SR. 2014. A functional trade-off between osmoregulation and respiration in the gills of the anchialine shrimp Halocaridina rubra (Crustacea: Atyidae). Benthic Ecology Meeting, Jacksonville, FL, USA. 

21. Havird JC, Santos SR. 2014.  From zero to “model” organism in < 1 Ph.D.: An example using next-gen data to address the biology of an obscure shrimp species. Southeastern Ecology and Evolution Conference, Statesboro, GA, USA.

20. Havird JC, Henry RP, Santos SR. 2014. Taking their breath away: Metabolic adaptations to low-oxygen levels and salinity transfer in anchialine shrimps (Crustacea: Atyidae). Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Annual Meeting, Austin, TX, USA.

19. Havird JC, Santos SR. 2013. Are some mitochondrial loci better at recreating metazoan mitogenome phylogenies and how many loci are necessary? Benthic Ecology Meeting, Savannah, GA, USA.

18. Havird JC, Wilson AE, Santos SR. 2013. The effects of shrimp grazing on the microbial communities of Hawaiian anchialine habitats. Sigma Xi Student Research Showcase: A Competition for Virtual Research Presentations, online conference. *Awarded 2^nd place in Graduate Ecology and Evolution section.

17. Havird JC, Henry RP, Wilson AE, Santos SR. 2013. A meta-analysis of salinity-induced changes in gene expression with new data from Halocaridina rubra (Crustacea: Atyidae). Southeastern Ecology and Evolution Conference, Orlando, FL, USA.

16. Havird JC, Henry RP, Santos SR. 2013. Using RNA-Seq and gene-specific methods to examine salinity-induced gene expression changes in an anchialine shrimp. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, USA. *Awarded best oral presentation by The Crustacean Society

15. Havird JC, Henry RP, Santos SR. 2012. Using RNA-Seq to examine salinity mediated gene expression in anchialine shrimp. Pan-Pacific Advanced Studies Institute (PacASI) on Genomic Applications to Marine Science and Resource Management in South East Asia, Dumaguete, Philippines.

14. Havird JC. 2012. 2012. Microbes in the guts of anchialine shrimp: Selective grazing or symbiosis? Symbiofest, Athens, GA, USA.

13. Havird JC, Irvin SK, Seitz KW, Santos SR. 2012. Microbiome profiling of Hawaiian anchialine habitats reveals spatial heterogeneity, invertebrate-microbe interactions, and impacts of invasive species. Benthic Ecology Meeting, Norfolk, VA, USA.

12. Havird JC, Henry RP, Santos SR. 2012. Feats of physiological bewilderment from the amazing Hawaiian micro-lobster (Crsutacea: Atyidae). Southeastern Ecology and Evolution Conference, Clemson, SC, USA.

11. Havird JC, Santos SR. 2011. Phylogenetic signals in metazoan mitochondrial genomes: Is 13 the lucky number? Southeastern Ecology and Evolution Conference, Auburn, AL, USA.

10. Havird JC, Seitz KW, Santos SR. 2011. Crusty ponds and rusty shrimp: Selective grazing and benthic microbial ecology in the Hawaiian anchialine ecosystem. Benthic Ecology Meeting, Mobile, AL, USA.

9. Havird JC, Heim JL, Santos SR, Fielman KT. 2010. Bacterial genetic diversity in the Hawaiian anchialine ecosystem. Hawaii Conservation Conference, Honolulu, HI, USA.

8. Havird JC, Page LM. 2010. A new species of Lepidocephalichthys (Teleostei: Cobitidae) with unique sexual dimorphism and relationships in southern lineages of Cobitidae. Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Providence, RI, USA.

7. Havird JC, Heim JL, Santos SR, Fielman KT. 2010. Bacterial genetic diversity of a unique Hawaiian ecosystem. Southeastern Ecology and Evolution Conference, Atlanta, GA, USA. *Awarded best oral presentation.

6. Havird JC. 2009. Loach hunters: Describing new fishes (Cobitidae) from Asia based on morphology, field work, and molecules. Southeastern Ecology and Evolution Conference, Gainesville, FL, USA.

5. Havird JC. 2008. Taxonomic diversity of the teleost family Cobitidae in SE Asia. Singapore EAPSI Research Symposium, Singapore.

4. Havird JC, Page LM. 2008. Systematics of the Lepidocephalichthys complex and evolution of sexual dimorphism in loaches. Southeastern Ecology and Evolution Conference, Tallahassee, FL, USA.

3. Havird JC, Evans DH. 2008. The evolution of cyclooxygenase in the chordates. Southeastern Ecology and Evolution Conference, Tallahassee, FL, USA.

2. Havird JC, Page LM. 2007. Taxonomic diversity of the cobitid genus Lepidocephalichthys. Cypriniformes Tree of Life Initiative, Chiang Rai, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand.

1. Havird JC, Choe KP, Evans DH. 2007. The evolution and possible function of cyclooxygenase in the chordates. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ, USA.

Graduate PhD students mentored:

Postdocs mentored:

Postdocs

I am always interested in discussing possible postdoc opportunities with dedicated scientists. We are excited to work with individuals with creative ideas for their own projects that jive with the general themes of the lab. Individuals with bioinformatics experience are of particular interest. UT also has a great postdoc fellowship program that we have used to host previous postdocs – the Stengl Wyer Scholars. Please contact Justin to discuss opportunities and include a brief CV and statement of research/career interests.

Graduate Students

We are currently accepting graduate students in the lab through several graduate programs at UT Austin: Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Cell and Molecular Biology, and Plant Biology. Please contact Justin if you’re thinking about applying. Current funding is available for students interested in the role of mitonuclear interactions in forming species boundaries.

If you might be interested in joining the lab as a graduate student, check out our graduate student expectations document:

Undergraduate Students

Any undergraduate students wishing to gain research experience should contact Justin if interested. Opportunities in the lab include learning wet lab and bioinformatics skills.

Research @ UT Turtle Pond

We are coordinating a large research effort using the UT Turtle Pond as a living laboratory. Almost anyone can get involved in this work, with very little effort to begin. If you’re interested, contact Justin .

Video from UT highlighting community in our lab