People

Principal Investigator

Sarah Stellwagen – Assistant Professor
Biological Sciences Ph.D., Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Virginia Tech, 2015.
Entomology M.S., Clemson University, 2011.
Biological Sciences B.A., Minor: Entomology, Clemson University, 2008.

stellwagen@charlotte.edu

PostDocs

Dr. Tyler Brown, NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Dr. Tyler Brown joined the team in the Summer of 2024. Dr. Brown is interested in investigating arthropod evolution using novel behavioral and genetic methods. Having previously studied sexual conflict in Opiliones, he is now researching phenotypic plasticity in Keroplatidae glow worms and theridiid spiders. Beyond research, Dr. Brown also values scientific education and outreach.

Graduate Students

Hannah Faye, Ph.D. Student, NSF Graduate Research Fellow

Hannah started the graduate program in Spring 2024. She loves to learn more about invertebrates through the microscopic landscape of the cellular world and is always excited to find answers using molecular and genetic techniques. Hannah aspires to apply her expertise to conservation efforts in order to help preserve and protect the biodiversity of the planet. 

Ella Kellner, Ph.D. Student, Herschel and Cornelia Everett Foundation First-Year Doctoral Fellow

Ella completed a year and a half of undergraduate research before joining the lab as a graduate student in the Fall of 2024. She is curious about the evolutionary pathway of silks and what can be learned by comparing silks of different invertebrate species.

Sal DeAndrea, Ph.D. Student

Sal joined the lab in Fall 2024 after a year of undergraduate research. He is passionate about the environment and leveraging insects and other organisms to produce bio-based materials.

Undergraduates

Hope Hulse

Hope started as an undergraduate research assistant in the Spring of 2024. She is interested in studying insects and arachnids, as well as examining what makes them function and why.

Ciara Bigelow

I am a Biology major with a minor in Environmental Science. I am passionate about researching and understanding ecosystems and using that knowledge to protect and restore them.

Ivy Pfeffer

Ivy started as an undergraduate research assistant in Fall 2025. She is interested in how organisms respond to extreme weather events and how that knowledge can be used to inform conservation efforts.

collaborators

Dr. Mercedes Burns (B.A. Biology, Macalester College; Ph. D. Evolutionary Biology, UMCP) is an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Her lab focuses on the evolutionary biology of sex and sexual conflict and collaborates with the Stellwagen Lab on projects investigating the evolution and function of prey capture adhesives.

Previous Lab members

Abby Warren, Undergraduate Research Assistant

Ryan Bennett, Undergraduate Research Assistant