Madelyn Kirsch is a masters student that joined the Siler Lab in Summer 2021. She grew up in Central Montana fascinated by animals and the outdoors, which evolved into an interest in keeping and studying amphibians. This led her to obtain a degree in Zoology from Washington State University and begin researching disease ecology in amphibians in the Brunner Lab. While working under Dr. Jesse Brunner, first as an undergraduate technician and then later as a full-time research technician, she conducted an undergraduate thesis research project on the infectiousness of ranavirus in wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) tadpoles that have been exposed to different environmental conditions. Her main research interests are driven by a love of salamanders and evolutionary biology, and this is what led her to join the Siler Lab.

Madelyn’s recent research in the Brunner lab in Washington can be viewed here.