People
Megan Bontrager
Megan (she/her) is currently an Assistant Professor in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at the University of Toronto. Previously, she was a postdoctoral researcher in the Evolution and Ecology Department at UC Davis, where she worked with Jenny Gremer, Julin Maloof, Annie Schmitt, and Sharon Strauss. She did her PhD research in the Biodiversity Research Centre and Botany Department at the University of British Columbia with Amy Angert. This work included field experiments, population genetics, herbarium studies, and quantitative syntheses of the literature. She did her undergraduate work at the UC Santa Cruz, where she worked in the Parker and Kay labs, after transferring from Cabrillo Community College. In her spare time she likes to explore parks with her kids, try new recipes, and hang out with her two weird cats.
Graduate students
Louisa Bartkovich
Louisa (she/her) is a PhD student and current W. Thomas Smith Scholar. She is broadly interested in exploring the processes that enable plant resilience to novel environmental conditions to aid and inform community-based initiatives. Prior to beginning her PhD, Louisa completed her undergraduate degree at Davidson College studying plant ecology and environmental humanities. She loves being the older sister to eight siblings and enjoys collecting quirky earrings, pottery, and pocket notebooks. Her twitter (@loubartkovich) is a curation of what helps her smile, think, and laugh.
Katie Maunder
Katie (they/she) is a PhD student co-supervised by John Stinchcombe and is a recipient of the Faculty of Arts & Science Top Doctoral Fellowship. They completed their undergrad at Queen’s University studying evolutionary biology and are interested in the forces underlying phenotypic variation. Katie braves the streets of Toronto, biking to campus each day, and they are currently making their way through a decade-old origami calendar.
Juniper Malloff
Juniper (they/them) is a PhD student in the Bontrager lab currently supported by the Faculty of Arts & Science Top Doctoral Fellowship. They completed their undergrad at the University of British Columbia where they explored the field of chemical ecology, studying elevational patterns of insect herbivore communities and chemical plant defense in Lupinus latifolius. Juniper is broadly interested in plant adaptation at range edges, chemically-mediated interactions between plants and insects, and the bizarre life histories of perennials. When not on campus, Juniper can be found hauling their bike down questionable gravel trails, baking elaborate desserts, or swing dancing the night away.
Erin McHugh
Erin is a PhD student co-supervised by Megan Frederickson. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of British Columbia, where she worked on projects related to the eco-evolutionary dynamics of range expansion, the role of competition in invasion speed, and life-history under changing climates. She is broadly interested in the biogeography of species interactions, and how species interactions may constrain or expand species ranges. In her spare time, she enjoys rock climbing, baking, and exploring Toronto.
Undergrads
Mia Bantas: EEB498 student ‘24-25
Yunjung Jo: EEB397 student ‘24-25
Julia Cruz: work-study summer ‘24, EEB397 independent project ‘24-25
Stephanie Leung: work-study summer ‘23, work-study ‘23-24, work-study summer ‘24, EEB397 student summer ‘24
Osmond Hui: work-study summer ‘24
Shayne Enriquez: work-study summer ‘24
Ellie Hector: work-study ‘22-23, EEB498 independent project ‘23-24, NSERC USRA summer ‘24
Tara McGruder: work-study summer ‘23, work-study and EEB397 independent project ‘23-24, NSERC USRA summer ‘24
Jo Fletcher: work-study ‘22-23, work-study ‘23-24, field tech summer ‘24
Maura McGregor: CGCS USRA summer ‘23 (joint with the Stinchcombe lab), work-study ‘23-24
Noah Hake: NSERC USRA summer ‘23, EEB497 student winter ‘24
Heather Chong: EEB498 independent project summer ‘23, work-study summer ‘23, research assistant fall ‘23