Our current team - those who are currently working on projects with the Hoban Conservation Lab - is typically 6 to 9 people, but we also have an extended group of lab alumni who continue to meet and develop ideas with us.
Current Team
Sean Hoban, PhD (he/him)
Principal Investigator Twitter: @seanmhoban |
Emma Leavens, MSc (she/her)
Program Manager |
Austin Koontz, MSc (he/him)
Research Consultant Mastodon: @akoontz11 |
Ashley Hamilton (she/they)
PhD Student in the Committee on Evolutionary Biology at the University of Chicago 
Catherine Dell'Olio (she/her) Research and Mentoring for Postbaccalaureates (RaMP) Fellow (2025--2026) 
Hank Helmers (he/him) Research Experience Extension Fellow (REEF) 2025; Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) 2025 
Jesse Parker (he/him) Master's Student, University of Tennessee Knoxville 
Casey St Claire-Richard (she/her) Research Experience Extension Fellow (REEF) 2025 |
Selu Adams (she/her)
PhD Student in the Committee on Evolutionary Biology at the University of Chicago 
Mikaely Evans (she/her) Research Experience Extension Fellow (REEF) 2024, 2025; Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) 2023 
Kylie Roth (she/her) Research Visitor, University of Vermont 
Cindy Johnson (she/her) Volunteer |
Alumni and Greater Network:
Emily Schumacher, MSc (she/her)
Former Program Manager Now: Senior Survey Analyst, Morning Consult Twitter: @koticneutralDNA 
Rebecca Wanger
Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) 2024; Research Experience Extension Fellow (REEF) 2025 
Alissa Brown, PhD (she/her)
Former Postdoc, 2019-2021 Now: Senior Data Analyst, Morning Consult 
Bailie Munoz
Former CTS Fellow, 2018-2020 Now: Medical surgery assistant at Eversight, Chicago 
Former Research Assistant, 2016-2017 Now: PhD student, at the Ohio State University 
Laura Aguiniga (she/her)
Former Research Technician Fellow 
Mackenzie Coden
Former Undergraduate Researcher, 2016-2017 Now: PhD Student at Yale University |
Andrea Brennan, PhD (she/her)
Former PhD Student, Purdue 2020 Now: ArbNet Coordinator, The Morton Arboretum 
Sarah Lupescu
Volunteer (Summer 2024) 
Brit Garner, PhD
Former PhD Student, University of Montana 2015 - 2021 (Sean was on committee) Now: Science teacher Twitter: @BritGarner 
Emily Beckman Bruns (she/her)
Former Research Assistant Now: Research Analyst, Cyclopure 
Loren Ladd (she/her)
Former Research Technician Fellow, Research Experience Extension Fellow 
Mira Garner, MS (she/her)
Former Research Assistant, 2019 Now: Laboratory Technician, Field Museum Twitter: @garner_mira |
Kaylee Rosenberger (she/her)
Former Research Experience Extension Fellowship, REU 2020 Now: PhD student, Colorado State University 
Bethany Zumwalde, MS (she/her)
Former Research Assistant, 2017-2019 (now PhD student, University of Florida) 
Chloe Hendrikse
Former Research Experience Extension Fellow, REU 2022 
Emma Spence, MS
Former Research Assistant Now: Field Program Manager in the Plowright lab at Cornell University 
Antonio Castilla Alvarez, PhD (he/him)
Former Postdoc Current Assistant Professor, Midwestern State University CTS Fellow Twitter: @AR_Castilla 
Ivan Paz Vinas, PhD
Postdoc (USGS Powell Center Working Group) Samantha Gray, MS
Former Research Fellow |