Summer 2025
Arachnology Lab at AMNH
2025
Arachnology Lab at AMNH
2025
Arachnology Lab at AMNH
2024
Arachnology Lab at AMNH
2023
Arachnology Lab at AMNH
2023
Arachnology Lab at AMNH
2022
Arachnology Lab at AMNH
2021
Arachnology Lab at AMNH
Fall 2019
Arachnology Lab at AMNH
Summer 2019
Arachnology Lab at AMNH
Summer 2018
Arachnology Lab at AMNH
Fall 2017
Arachnology Lab at AMNH
Summer 2017
Arachnology Lab at AMNH
Summer 2015
Arachnology Lab at AMNH
Winter 2015
Arachnology Lab at AMNH
Summer 2013
Arachnology Lab at AMNH
Summer 2011
Arachnology Lab at AMNH
2006
Arachnology Lab at AMNH
Fall 2007
Scorpion Biologists ICA
2007
BSI Solifugae Meeting at DMNS
Winter 2008
AToL Morphology Scoring Party at Smithsonian USNM
Principal Investigator
Head of the Arachnology Lab at AMNH
Lorenzo Prendini
Curator of Arachnida and Myriapoda, Division of Invertebrate Zoology
Lorenzo Prendini: Curator, Invertebrate Zoology, Professor RGGS | AMNH
Professor of Comparative Biology, Richard Gilder Graduate School
Graduate Programs at the Museum | Richard Gilder Graduate School
Principle Investigator, Institute of Comparative Genomics
Institute for Comparative Genomics | AMNH
Chair, AMNH Scientific Publications
Scientific Publications | American Museum of Natural History
Adjunct Professor, Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, City University of New York
CV and Online Profiles
Contact
Curator of Arachnida and Myriapoda
Division of Invertebrate Zoology
American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West at 79th Street
New York, NY 10024-5192
USA
Email: lorenzo@amnh.org
Phone: (212) 769-5843
Fax: (212) 769-5277
Museum Specialists
Current museum specialist of the Arachnology Lab at AMNH
Pío A. Colmenares
Museum Specialist and Collections Manager, Arachnid and Myriapod Collections
Pío is an arachnologist with experience in taxonomy and ecology. His main research interests are the taxonomy, systematics, ecology, conservation and biogeography of Opiliones. In addition to working with Opiliones, he also has experience in the taxonomy of other arachnid orders, such as Amblypygi, Schizomida, Solifugae, and spiders of the family Pholcidae. Pío joined the AMNH staff in 2016 and is currently in charge of the Arachnid and Myriapod Collections.
Pío began his studies at the University of Zulia (LUZ) in Maracaibo, Venezuela, where he received his undergraduate degree in biology in 2008. During his time as a student, he worked in the Museum of Biology at La Universidad del Zulia (MBLUZ). Upon graduating, he started working as a research assistant of the Biodiversity Unit at the Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC) in Caracas, Venezuela. In 2009 he studied at the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, where he received training in curatorial techniques and management of various natural history collections. In 2015, he defended his doctoral thesis on Amazonian Harvestmen communities at the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA) in Manaus, Brazil.
Contact
Division of Invertebrate Zoology
American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West at 79th Street
New York, NY 10024-5192
USA
Email: pcolmenares@amnh.org
Phone: (212) 769-5614
Technical Staff
Steve Thurston
Scientific Illustrator
While completing his BS in Horticulture at the University of Connecticut (1977), Steve was trained by M.J. Brush in the Biological Illustration studio and began working as a scientific illustrator, drawing bugs for Dr. James A. Slater. He later received his MFA in New Genres/Video at The San Francisco Art Institute and has worked variously as a carpenter, video maker, artist and illustrator. He began full time employment at the AMNH in 1999 as a Scientific Assistant, providing illustration, photo and graphic support to the Division of Invertebrate Zoology.
Victoria Long
Staff Member
Victoria Long Lab Technician Staff from 2021 to 2026 Victoria worked in the Arachnology Lab as a Technician on the NSF Pedipalpi grant (PI: Prendini) from 2021 to 2026, conducting DNA extraction, quantitation, PCR and sequencing.
Research Affiliates
Boris Zakharov
Research Associate, La Guardia Community College
Boris has a wide range of research experiences and interests, primary within the fields of Invertebrate Zoology, Biogeography, Evolution and System Theory approach in Biology. His Master's project in Arachnology (1979) was performed at Far East State University at city Vladivostok (Russia) and dedicated to orb-weaving spiders Family Araneidae of South East Russia. In 1989, he earned his PhD in Entomology from Novosibirsk Biological Institute and it was dedicated to horse flies and deer-flies (Insecta, Diptera, Tabanidae) of South-East Transbaikalia. Currently, Boris am working in collaboration with Vladimir Ovtcharenko on the study of the ground spiders of Australia and New Zealand and the study of invertebrate dynamics in the Black Rock Forest.
Contact
Email: zakharov@amnh.org
Phone: (212) 769-5609
Vladimir Ovtsharenko
Research Associate, Hostos Community College
Vladimir is a research associate in the Division of Invertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), and Curator of the Arachnological Collections at the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dr. Ovtsharenko's research is on spider taxonomy: the science of identifying and classifying species according to their evolutionary relationships. Since the AMNH houses the largest spider collection in the world, with over a million spider specimens, and the arachnological research carried out there is among the best in the world, it is an ideal place for Vlad to work.
Contact
Email: ovtshare@amnh.org
Phone: (212) 769-5618
Louis Sorkin
Visiting Scientist, New York Entomological Society
Lou began his career in arachnid studies during his graduate work at the University of Connecticut where he researched arthropod parasites of spiders. In 1978, Lou began work on spiders and other arachnids under Dr. Norman Platnick, in what was then the Department of Entomology at the AMNH. Over the years he sorted through many spider collections and labeled thousands of vials and worked with many arachnologists, some visiting and examining the museum's collection and sometimes at other institutions during his visits or on excursions from arachnology meetings. He deals with many public inquiries regarding insects and other arthropods. He has interests in entomophagy and forensic entomology (the latter includes stored products, urban, and medico-legal studies). Some of the cases and investigations have been aired online, on television and radio and in the print media. At present, some of his studies include investigations of the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) due to the relatively recent increase in infestations of many homes, business, hotels, by this insect and for which he receives inquiries on their natural history and biology and management. He keeps a few bed bug colonies for study and for educational purposes. After 43 years of dedicated service, Lou retired from his position as Museum Specialist for the Spider Collection in early 2020. He will remain associated with the AMNH Invertebrate Zoology Division to continue with his outreach activities and the organization of the New York Entomological Society.
No alumni listed yet.
Postdocs
Current and former postdocs at the Arachnology Lab
H. Muhammad Tahir
Postdoc in 2026 - Postdoctoral research on the systematics and evolution of Pakistani scorpions supported by a Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellowship
Tahir earned his PhD from the University of the Punjab, Lahore, with a dissertation entitled “Biodiversity and Predatory Efficacy of Spiders Inhabiting the Rice Fields of Central Punjab, Pakistan.” In addition to his work on Araneae, he has conducted extensive research on the scorpions of Pakistan in collaboration with Dr. Lorenzo Prendini. In May 2013, he first joined the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) as a postdoctoral fellow under the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, where his research focused on the molecular systematics of scorpions, particularly within the family Buthidae. In January 2026, he rejoined the AMNH as a Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow. His current research involves the molecular systematics and development of a comprehensive DNA barcode database for medically and commercially significant scorpion species of Pakistan, including those from the Kashmir region. Alongside his research at the AMNH, he serves as Professor of Zoology at Government College University, Lahore.
Jose Barba-Montoya
Postdoc in 2024 and 2025 - Postdoctoral research on the phylogenomics of Chelicerata supported by a Gerstner Postdoctoral Fellowship
Jose investigates patterns of molecular evolution and species diversification across the tree of life by integrating phylogenomics with systematics and ecology. His primary focus lies in inferring evolutionary relationships and divergence times at both the species and subspecies levels. A central pillar of his research involves the development of novel bioinformatic methods for phylogenomic analysis and molecular clock dating, designed to mitigate sources of error and enhance the accuracy of evolutionary reconstructions. Currently a Research Associate in the Division of Invertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), Jose previously served as a Gerstner Scholar in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at the Richard Gilder Graduate School (2023–2025). He continues to collaborate with Professor Lorenzo Prendini and members of the Arachnology Lab to investigate evolutionary patterns across the arachnid tree of life, utilizing high-throughput, next-generation sequencing data.
Jairo A. Moreno-González
Postdoc from 2022 to 2026 - Postdoctoral research on the systematics and evolution of Pedipalpi and Neotropical scorpions supported by an NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship and a Theodore Roosevelt Postdoctoral Fellowship
Jairo A. Moreno-González earned his B.Sc. in Biology from the Universidad del Valle, Colombia, and his Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil. His Ph.D. dissertation focused on the systematics of the neotropical scorpion genus Tityus (Arachnida: Scorpiones, Buthidae), integrating morphological and molecular evidence. In May 2022, Jairo joint the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) as a postdoc of the NSF project: “Systematics and evolution of Pedipalpi (whip spiders and whip scorpions): phylogenomics and morphology of understudied arachnids”, under the supervision of Dr. Lorenzo Prendini. In 2024, he became a Gerstner Scholar at the Richard Gilder School (RGGS) at AMNH with his project: "Neotropical biogeography assessed from the perspective of the World’s most diverse scorpion genus, Tityus". In May 2026, after finishing his appointment at Gerstner Scholar, he will continue to investigate the biogeography and phylogenomics of Tityus as a postdoctoral NSF STAR Grant scholar. Jairo's research combines detailed phenotype examination and molecular data to test biogeographic and phylogenetic hypotheses, using various arachnid orders —including Amblypygi, Schizomida, Scorpiones, and Thelyphonida— as study models.
Graduate Students
Several graduate students worked in the Arachnology lab in past years. These students were funded from various sources including grants from the National Science Foundation and the AMNH (graduate student fellowships and the Comparative Biology Program of the Richard Gilder Graduate School). If you are interested graduate study in the Arachnology lab, please visit the website of the Richard Gilder Graduate School to apply to the RGGS for a graduate student fellowship for study at a partner programs (e.g., City University of New York).
George Popovici
Comparative Biology Ph.D. Program, Richard Gilder Graduate School, AMNH
Graduate student from 2026 - Ph.D. on systematics and biogeography of the Asian vinegaroons (whip scorpions) and the evolution of defense secretions
George Popovici graduated with a BSc in Biological Sciences from Imperial College London in 2025, during which time he conducted research on centipede taxonomy and systematics at the Natural History Museum, London. He is also affiliated with the Molecular Biology Laboratory of the “Grigore Antipa” National Museum of Natural History in Bucharest, Romania, where his work focuses on the systematics and biogeography of Romanian myriapods and arachnids. George joined the AMNH in 2025 as a doctoral student in the Richard Gilder Graduate School's Comparative Biology PhD program; his current research investigates the taxonomy and systematics of the Thelyphonida (whip scorpions) and the evolution of their complex chemical defense systems.
Alice Wang
Comparative Biology Ph.D. Program, Richard Gilder Graduate School, AMNH
Graduate student from 2026 - Ph.D. on phylogeny and evolution of sound communication in hormurid scorpions
Alice Wang graduated with a BA in Environmental Science with a minor in Biology from Barnard College, Columbia University. Her research interests lie at the intersection of animal behavior and phylogenomics, focusing on how animals perceive and respond to the world around them and the evolutionary context underlying these actions. She has previously conducted research spanning systematics and biogeography of African freshwater tetra fishes (Alestidae) and olfactory communication in dogs (Canis familiaris). Her current research focuses on describing and determining the evolutionary history of intraspecific acoustic communication in scorpions, combining behavioral studies of live animals with morphological and phylogenomic analyses of museum collections.
Colby Sain
Ecology, Evolution and Behavior Program, City College, City University of New York
Graduate student from 2023 - M.S. on systematics and biogeography of montane lineages of vaejovid scorpions in the U.S.
Colby Sain began her academic career as an undergraduate at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, within the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, where she studied invertebrate microfossils. In 2019, Colby joined the AMNH as an REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) student under the guidance of Ricardo Botero-Trujillo, Stephanie Loria, and Pio Colmenares, focusing on the order Ricinulei. From conducting molecular laboratory work to collecting live specimens in the field, she has continued to collaborate with the AMNH Arachnology Lab in various capacities. Colby is currently a graduate student at the City University of New York (CUNY), where her thesis research investigates the systematics and distribution of Vaejovis scorpions in the American Southwest.
Nicolas Cazzaniga
Ecology, Evolution and Behavior Program, City University of New York
Graduate student from 2022 - Ph.D. on systematics, evolution and biogeography of the Neotropical whip spider family Phrynidae
Nick completed his B.S. in Entomology at Purdue University in 2019, where his capstone thesis analyzed social versus solitary growth rates in the Socotra Island Blue Baboon tarantula, Monocentropus balfouri. During his undergraduate tenure, he dedicated significant time to the Yale insect collection and various entomology laboratories on the Purdue campus. Nick pivoted his focus toward the understudied arachnid orders after working with live specimens in Purdue’s invertebrate zoo and within the exotic pet trade. Following a brief residency in the zoological sector at the Maritime Aquarium, he was awarded a Graduate Student Fellowship from the AMNH in 2022. He is currently conducting his doctoral research on the systematics and biogeography of the amblypygid family Phrynidae through the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology PhD program at the City University of New York. His work is supported by an NSF grant focused on the Systematics and Evolution of Pedipalpi.
Javier Blasco Aróstegui
Center of Ecology, Evolution and Climate Change, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Graduate student from 2021 to 2026 - Ph.D. on systematics, evolution and biogeography of European scorpions
Javier Blasco-Aróstegui is a visiting PhD candidate (2022–2026) from the University of Lisbon, who has collaborated with the AMNH Arachnology Lab since 2022. His research integrates phylogenomics, comparative morphology, and toxinology to explore the evolutionary history and diversification of Western Palearctic scorpions. By leveraging museum collections and data from global field expeditions, he aims to elucidate how geological and climatic shifts have shaped regional endemism across the Mediterranean and beyond. Javier holds an MSc in Biodiversity and Conservation (UIMP–CSIC) and a BSc in Biology from the University of Salamanca. His professional background includes tenures as a laboratory technician at CIBIO-InBIO, where he studied shark genomics, and as a fieldwork technician at the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), focused on arthropod biodiversity. His expertise bridges evolutionary genomics, systematics, and conservation science—a trajectory sparked by a 2016 residency at the Natural History Museum, London. He actively contributes to the AMNH collections by generating high-quality molecular datasets and depositing specimens from his worldwide expeditions.
Nayeli Gutiérrez Trejo
Comparative Biology Ph.D. Program, Richard Gilder Graduate School, AMNH
Graduate student from 2018 to 2023
Nayeli completed her B.S. and M.S. in Mexico at the Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Hidalgo and Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, respectively, where she studied the systematics of Cerambycidae beetles. During her PhD at the RGGS, with Dr. Prendini as co advisor, she investigated the evolutionary history of the beetle genus Tetraopes, which comprises a diverse and highly specialized group of species that interact with the toxic defenses of milkweed plants in the genus Asclepias.
Jayson Slovak
City University of New York
Graduate student from 2016 to 2020
Jayson Slovak graduated with a BA in Biology from Queens College, CUNY. During his undergraduate studies he worked under Dr. Stephane Boissinot to see how population size affected abundance of Transposable Elements in the Threespine Stickleback. During his leap year he accompanied an expedition with Dr. Boissinot to Ethiopia to frog collect samples for his lab. He worked as a Masters student in City College from 2016 to 2020, studying how the Great Rift Valley affects scorpion distribution and speciation in the region.
Stephanie F. Loria
Richard Gilder Graduate School, American Museum of Natural History
Graduate student from 2011 to 2016
Stephanie first came to the AMNH as a high school student participating in the High School Science Research Program of the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation with Felicity Arengo. In 2011, she completed her B.S. at Sewanee University in TN. During her B.S. she spent a summer working at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago as an NSF REU intern studying the evolution and biogeography of the Malagasy giant pill-millipedes, genus Sphaeromimus, under the guidance of Thomas Wesener and Petra Sierwald. Stephanie entered the Comparative Biology PhD program at the AMNH Richard Gilder Graduate School in 2011 and graduated in 2015. Her dissertation focused on the evolution and biogeography of Southeast Asian scorpions, particularly the family Chaerilidae.
Tharina Bird
Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO | NSF BS&I Grant
Graduate student from 2009 to 2014
Tharina holds six degrees including two B.S. degrees, a Masters and a Higher Education Diploma from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. She was funded in part for a PhD at Colorado State University, by a National Science Foundation Biodiversity Surveys and Inventories grant to Paula Cushing and Lorenzo Prendini, graduating in 2014. Tharina visited the AMNH on several occasions to study and image the extensive camel spider collection for her dissertation research on the cheliceral morphology of Solifugae and worked extensively with Prendini. She then returned to the National Museum of Namibia, Windhoek.
Lionel Monod
CUNY, The City College of New York | AMNH Graduate Student Fellowship
Graduate student from 2005 to 2011
Lionel completed a B.Sc. at the University of Geneva and an MSc revising the systematics of Liocheles scorpions at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, graduating in 2000. Monod subsequently worked at the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, Geneva. He visited the AMNH to work in the collections and Molecular Systematics Laboratory in November-December 2002 and, in 2005, Monod was awarded a Graduate Student Fellowship from the AMNH to conduct a PhD thesis on the systematics and biogeography of Indo-Pacific liochelid scorpions, via the PhD program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, City University of New York. He completed his PhD in 2011 and now works as a Research Officer at the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, Geneva.
Edmundo González Santillan
CUNY, The City College of New York | NSF REVSYS Grant
Graduate student from 2004 to 2012
Edmundo completed his B.S. and MSc at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). In 2004, Edmundo moved to the AMNH, supported by a National Science Foundation REVSYS grant on vaejovid systematics awarded to Lorenzo Prendini. He was accepted into the PhD program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, City University of New York, in 2005. For his dissertation he studied the systematic biology of the North American vaejovid scorpion subfamily Syntropinae. After graduating in 2012, he moved to the Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad in Guanajuato, Mexico, where he continues his research on the evolution, phylogeny and biogeography of Mexican scorpions.
Lauren A. Esposito
CUNY, The City College of New York | MAGNET-STEM Fellowship | NSF AGEP Fellowship | CUNY College NOW Fellow | CUNY Magnet Dissertation Fellowship | NSF GK-12 Fellowship
Graduate student from 2004 to 2011
Lauren first came to the AMNH in 2002 as an undergraduate intern in the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates program, for a summer research project on the systematics of medically important African Parabuthus scorpions. After graduating with her B.S. from the University of Texas at El Paso, she was accepted into the PhD program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, City University of New York, and returned to the AMNH to continue research on scorpions. She revised the systematics of the medically important North American scorpion genus Centruroides for her PhD dissertation. She completed her doctorate degree in 2011 and is now at the California Academy of Sciences, where she is an Assistant Curator and Schlinger Chair of Arachnology.
Undergraduate Students
Over the years, several undergraduate students have worked in the Arachnology Lab supported by various internships. Most have gone on to graduate school and beyond. We acknowledge and appreciate their work. If you are interested in interning in the Arachnology Lab at the AMNH please visit the Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program.
William Phillips
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Undergraduate student from 2024 to present
William (Will) worked in the Arachnology lab from 2024, recording meristic data and conducting digital imaging on scorpions, supervised by Lorenzo Prendini, and conducting DNA extraction, quantitation, PCR and sequencing, supervised by Colby Sain.
Dhruva Mathews Jagga Ram
Columbia University, New York, NY
Undergraduate student from 2025 to 2026
Dhruva worked in the Arachnology lab in 2025 and 2026, conducting DNA extraction, quantitation, PCR and sequencing, supervised by Colby Sain.
Maggie Mannon
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Undergraduate student from 2025 to 2026
Maggie worked in the Arachnology lab in 2025 and 2026, recording morphometric data from scorpions, under the supervision of Jairo Moreno-González and Lorenzo Prendini.
Allison Borkenhagen
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Undergraduate student in 2025
Allison worked in the Arachnida and Myriapoda collections in the summer of 2025, assisting Pio Colmenares and Lorenzo Prendini with sorting, organization and curation of the arachnid collections.
Sharon Brown
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Undergraduate student in 2025
Sharon worked in the Arachnida and Myriapoda collections in the summer of 2025, assisting Pio Colmenares and Lorenzo Prendini with sorting, organization and curation of the arachnid collections.
Jack Coulson
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Undergraduate student in 2025
Jack worked in the Arachnology lab in the summer of 2025, conducting DNA extraction, quantitation, PCR and sequencing, under the supervision of Pio Colmenares.
Eugene Ko
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Undergraduate student in 2025
Eugene worked in the Arachnology lab in the summer of 2025, recording morphometric data and conducting digital imaging on scorpions, under the supervision of Jairo Moreno-González.
Jakub Minkiewicz
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Undergraduate student in 2025
Jakub worked in the Arachnology lab in the summer of 2025, conducting DNA extraction, quantitation, PCR and sequencing, under the supervision of Pio Colmenares.
Adithya Raghunath
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Undergraduate student in 2025
Adithya worked in the Arachnology lab in the summer of 2025, conducting DNA extraction, quantitation, PCR and sequencing, under the supervision of Pio Colmenares.
Drusilla Sheridan
CUNY, John Jay College
Undergraduate student in 2025
Dru worked in the Arachnology lab in 2025, conducting DNA extraction, quantitation, PCR and sequencing, under the supervision of Pio Colmenares and Colby Sain.
Maxine Ting
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Undergraduate student in 2025
Maxine worked in the Arachnology lab in the summer of 2025, conducting DNA extraction, quantitation, PCR and sequencing, under the supervision of Pio Colmenares.
Russell Gurland
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Undergraduate student from 2024 to 2025
In the summer of 2024, Russell worked in the Arachnida and Myriapoda collections, assisting Pio Colmenares with sorting, organization and curation of the arachnid collections. In the summer of 2025, Russell assisted Lorenzo Prendini with digital imaging of scorpions.
Cassandra Hansen
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Undergraduate student in 2024
Cassandra worked in the Arachnida and Myriapoda collections in the summer of 2024, assisting Pio Colmenares and Lorenzo Prendini with sorting, organization and curation of the arachnid collections.
Delia Lasek
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Undergraduate student in 2024
Delia worked in the Arachnology lab in the summer of 2024, conducting DNA extraction, quantitation, PCR and sequencing, under the supervision of Pio Colmenares.
Emma Leonard
Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY
Undergraduate student in 2024
Emma worked in the Arachnology lab in the summer of 2024 with a team of undergraduate students to obtain foundational skills for PCR, biology research, and professional development, under the supervision of Pio Colmenares. She then moved to the Cornell School of Veterinary Medicine (DVM program).
Grace Michlik
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Undergraduate student in 2024
Grace worked in the Arachnology lab in the summer of 2024, conducting DNA extraction, quantitation, PCR and sequencing, under the supervision of Pio Colmenares.
Amara Pardo
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Undergraduate student in 2024
Amara worked in the Arachnida and Myriapoda collections in the summer of 2024, assisting Pio Colmenares and Lorenzo Prendini with sorting, organization and curation of the arachnid collections.
Mann Patel
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Undergraduate student in 2024
During the summer of 2024, Mann worked in the Arachnology Lab, extracting DNA samples and sequencing genes from 70 species, gaining hands-on experience that directly strengthened his training and skills as a genetics major.
Christania Fraenkel
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Undergraduate student in 2023
Christania worked in the Arachnology lab in the summer of 2023, conducting DNA extraction, quantitation, PCR and sequencing, under the supervision of Pio Colmenares.
Mitchell Kiwior
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Undergraduate student in 2023
Mitch worked in the Arachnida and Myriapoda collections in the summer of 2023, assisting Pio Colmenares with curation and organization of the Cokendolper collection of arachnids.
Graham Ort
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Undergraduate student in 2023
Graham worked in the Arachnology lab in the summer of 2023, conducting DNA extraction, quantitation, PCR and sequencing, under the supervision of Pio Colmenares.
Thi Vu
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Undergraduate student in 2023
Thi worked in the Arachnida and Myriapoda collections in the summer of 2023, assisting Pio Colmenares with curation and organization of the Cokendolper collection of arachnids.
Hannah Choi
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Undergraduate student in 2022
Hannah worked in the Arachnida and Myriapoda collections in the summer of 2022, assisting Pio Colmenares with curation and digitization of a collection of Chilean spiders.
Alexus Crespo
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Undergraduate student in 2022
Alexus worked in the Arachnology lab in the summer of 2022, conducting DNA extraction, quantitation, PCR and sequencing, under the supervision of Pio Colmenares.
Camille Jaramillo
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Undergraduate student in 2022
Camille worked in the Arachnida and Myriapoda collections in the summer of 2022, assisting Pio Colmenares with curation and digitization of a collection of Chilean spiders.
Angie Lopez
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Undergraduate student in 2022
Angie worked in the Arachnology lab in the summer of 2022, conducting DNA extraction, quantitation, PCR and sequencing, under the supervision of Pio Colmenares.
Jared Martin
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Undergraduate student in 2022
Jared worked in the Arachnida and Myriapoda Collections in the summer of 2022, assisting with curation of a donation of Opiliones (harvestmen).
Valentin Ehrenthal
University of Hamburg, Germany
Undergraduate student from 2019 to 2020
Valentin spent six months at the AMNH working on Southeast Asian scorpions. He generated images and data for a morphological matrix and performed extractions, PCRs and Sanger Sequencing. Additionally, he learned about the biogeography and phylogeny of these scorpions.
Diogo Casellato
CUNY, Baruch College | Brazil Scientific Mobility Program
Undergraduate student from 2015 to 2019
Diogo interned in the molecular lab, learning to extract, amplify, sequence, and edit DNA as part of a variety of scorpion phylogenetics projects.
Elena Babicz
Bridgewater State University
Undergraduate student in 2019
Elena spent the summer at the AMNH as an REU intern under the supervision of Stephanie Loria and Pio Colmenares, focusing on Thelyphonids. She was tasked with generating molecular data and images of the specimens, and also learned about the morphology, biogeography and phylogeny of this order of arachnids.
Colby Sain
University of Tennessee
Undergraduate student in 2019
Colby came to the AMNH as an REU intern. She worked under the mentorship of Ricardo Botero-Trujillo and Stephanie Loria, primarily on Ricinulei, with a focus on the African genus, Ricinoides. She generated an extensive set of morphological images, and she also generated molecular data. At the University of Tennessee, she studies Geology with a focus on Paleontology. In the future, Colby hopes to do more work in the Arachnology Lab.
Deborah Chin
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Undergraduate student from 2016 to 2018
Deborah spent the summer doing extractions and PCRs on scorpions in the AMNH molecular lab.
Sasha Mendez
Rutgers University
Undergraduate student in 2018
Sasha spent the summer obtaining DNA extractions, PCRs and sequences from scorpion samples in the AMNH molecular lab.
Lam Ngo
Sewanee: The University of the South
Undergraduate student in 2018
Lam assisted with field work in Asia, surpervised by Stephanie Loria.
Massimiliano "Max" Roppo
Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
Undergraduate student in 2018
Max came to the AMNH and spent three months adquiring morphological data on some African scorpions.
Maggie Ruben
Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
Undergraduate student in 2018
Maggie spent the summer of 2016 studying cuticular fluorescence in scorpions and other chelicerates including horseshoe crabs, solifuges, opilionids, and extinct eurypterids.
Michelle Yun
CUNY, York College
Undergraduate student in 2010
Michelle took part in an investigation of the phylogeny of the scorpion genus Parabuthus sequencing six different loci from samples collected all over southern Africa.
Angela Holuba
Barnard College
Undergraduate student in 2008
Angela worked on a project investigating the phylogeny and evolutionary relationships of the scorpion family Buthidae.
Sylvia Johnson
Barnard College | Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program
Undergraduate student in 2008
Sylvia worked on a project investigating the phylogeny and evolutionary relationships of the scorpion family Diplocentridae.
Gena Esposito
University of Texas at Austin | NSF RevSys Grant
Undergraduate student in 2007
Gena generated DNA sequence data as part of an investigation of the phylogeny of the scorpion family Buthidae.
Sarah Schoenbrun
Brown University | NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates Internship
Undergraduate student in 2007
Sarah studied the medically important North American scorpion genus, Centruroides, using molecular data from previously unidentified specimens to clarify their phylogenetic placement. Sarah also investigated the relationship between venom genes of Centruroides and other medically important scorpions.
Steve Webb
Muhlenberg College | NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates Internship
Undergraduate student in 2005
Steve tested the phylogenetic placement and monophyly of the former scorpion family Microcharmidae, using morphological and molecular data.
Kanvaly B. Bamba
Yale University | NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates Internship
Undergraduate student in 2004
Kanvaly contributed to the first phylogeny for the Gondwana scorpion family Hormuridae, based on a simultaneous analysis six gene loci and morphology.
Michelle McCoy
North Carolina University | NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates Internship
Undergraduate student in 2004
Michelle contributed to the first phylogeny for the Gondwana scorpion family Hormuridae, based on a simultaneous analysis six gene loci and morphology.
Samara Maaliki
CUNY, City University of New York | NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates Internship | Undergraduate Mentoring in Evolutionary Biology Internship
Undergraduate student in 2003
Samara studied the morphology of the central Asian scorpion Pseudochactas ovchinnikovi and investigated its phylogenetic position with morphological and molecular data.
Lauren A. Esposito
University of Texas, El Paso | NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates Internship
Undergraduate student in 2002
Lauren first came to the AMNH for a summer research project on the systematics of medically important African Parabuthus scorpions. She returned to the lab as a graduate student from 2004 to 2011.
High School Students
Several high school students have worked in the Arachnology Lab supported by various internships. Many have continued to undergraduate programs. We acknowledge and appreciate their work. If you are interested in interning in the Arachnology Lab at the AMNH please visit the Science Research Mentoring Program.
Meredith Metz
High school student from 2025 to 2026
Meredith Metz joined the Arachnology lab in 2025 and continues to volunteer during the summer extracting and sequencing scorpion and amblypygid DNA under the supervision of Pío Colmenares and Colby Sain.
Alex Liu
High school student in 2026
Alex volunteers in the Arachnology Lab assisting Pío Colmenares with sorting, organization and curation of collections.
Balthazar Edwards
High school student in 2026
Balthazar volunteers in the Arachnology Lab assisting Pío Colmenares with sorting, organization and curation of collections.
Anika Mahbub
High school student in 2024
Anika was a volunteer research student for the Bronx High School of Science research program. She was mentored by Colby E. Sain for the summer of 2024. She worked in the Molecular Systematics Laboratory learning lab techniques such as DNA extraction and PCR, and helped make a data base of Vaejovis morphometrics. She went on to pursue a Bachelors of Science at Brandeis University.
William Phillips
High school student from 2023 to 2024
Will volunteered in the Arachnology lab from 2023 to 2024, recording morphometric data and conducting digital imaging on scorpions, and assisting with sorting, organization and curation of collections, supervised by Lorenzo Prendini.
Christina Li
High school student in 2023
Christina volunteered in the Arachnology lab in the summer of 2023 where she conducted DNA extraction, quantitation, PCR and sequencing, supervised by Pío Colmenares.
Michelle Li
High school student in 2023
Michelle volunteered in the Arachnology lab in the summer of 2023 where she conducted DNA extraction, quantitation, PCR and sequencing, supervised by Pío Colmenares.
Eva-Lucia Prendini
High school student in 2023
Eva-Lucia volunteered in the Arachnology lab in the summer of 2023 where she conducted DNA extraction, quantitation, PCR and sequencing, supervised by Pío Colmenares.
Sophia Collins
High school student in 2022
Sophia volunteered at the Arachnida and Myriapoda collections in 2022, assisting Pio Colmenares with sorting, organization and curation of collections.
Aibrean Henry
High school student in 2022
Aibrean volunteered at the Arachnida and Myriapoda collections in 2022, assisting Pio Colmenares with sorting, organization and curation of collections.
Alex Moell
High school student in 2022
Alex volunteered at the Arachnida and Myriapoda collections in 2022, assisting Pio Colmenares with sorting, organization and curation of collections.
Hritwik Paul
High school student in 2019
Hritwik volunteered at the Arachnida collections in 2019, assisting with curatorial activities, such as the reorganization of the scorpion collection, sorting, labeling and rehousing, under the supervision of Pío Colmenares.
Luke Siegel
High school student in 2019
Luke volunteered at the Arachnida collections in 2019, assisting with curatorial activities, such as the reorganization of the scorpion collection, sorting, labeling and rehousing, under the supervision of Pío Colmenares.
Cherie Qu
High school student in 2019
Cherie volunteered at the Arachnology lab during the summer of 2019, through the AMNH Lang program. She worked rehousing and organizing spiders and daddy longlegs, under the supervision of Lou Sorkin.
Azmi Anamika
High school student in 2019
Azmi volunteered at the Arachnology lab during the summer of 2019, through the AMNH Lang program. She worked rehousing and organizing spiders and daddy longlegs, under the supervision of Lou Sorkin.
Nathan Auyeng
High school student in 2018
Nathan came from the AMNH Science Research Mentoring Program, and volunteered at the Arachnida collections during the summer of 2018. He assisted with curatorial activities, helping to curate important collections of spiders and other arachnids, under the supervision of Lou Sorkin and Pío Colmenares.
Aleyna Singer
High school student in 2018
Aleyna came from the AMNH Science Research Mentoring Program, and volunteered at the Arachnida collections during the summer of 2018. She assisted with curatorial activities, helping to curate important collections of spiders and other arachnids, under the supervision of Lou Sorkin and Pío Colmenares.
Simon Au
High school student in 2018
Simon came from the AMNH Science Research Mentoring Program, and volunteered at the Arachnida collections during the summer of 2018. He assisted with curatorial activities, helping to curate important collections of spiders and other arachnids, under the supervision of Lou Sorkin and Pío Colmenares.
Agnes Oduro
High school student in 2018
Agnes came from the AMNH Science Research Mentoring Program, and volunteered at the Arachnida and Myriapoda collections during the summer of 2018. She assisted with curatorial activities, helping to curate important collections of spiders and other arachnids, under the supervision of Lou Sorkin and Pío Colmenares.
Amrita Banerji
High school student in 2018
Amrita came from the AMNH Science Research Mentoring Program, and volunteered at the Arachnida and Myriapoda collections during the summer of 2018. She assisted with curatorial activities, helping to curate important collections of spiders and other arachnids, under the supervision of Lou Sorkin and Pío Colmenares.
Geeta Sharma
High school student in 2017
Geeta volunteered at the AMNH during the summer of 2017. She worked sorting and organizing a scorpion collection from South Africa, under the supervision of Pío Colmenares.
Sophia Castro
High school student in 2017
Sophia volunteered at the AMNH during the summer of 2017. She worked sorting and organizing a scorpion collection from South Africa, under the supervision of Pío Colmenares.
Tamar Cohen
High school student in 2017
Tamar volunteered at the AMNH during the summer of 2017. She worked in the Molecular Systematics Laboratory where they learned lab techniques and to perform PCRs under the supervision of Pío Colmenares.
Chelsea Silva
High school student in 2015
Chelsea volunteered at the AMNH during the summer of 2015. She worked in the Molecular Systematics Laboratory where she learned lab techniques and to perform PCRs under the supervision of Michelle Locke and Diogo Casellato.
Billy Conlan
High school student in 2015
Billy volunteered at the AMNH during the summer of 2015. He worked in the Molecular Systematics Laboratory where he learned lab techniques and to perform PCRs under the supervision of Michelle Locke and Diogo Casellato.
Sasha Reiter and Eleanor Goetz
Eleanor Goetz
High school student from 2013 to 2014
Eleanor attended the AMNH Science Research Mentoring Program (SRMP) at the AMNH for the 2013-2014 academic year. She worked in the Molecular Systematics Laboratory where she learned to isolate, amplify, sequence, and edit DNA under the supervision of Stephanie Loria.
Sasha Reiter and Eleanor Goetz
Sasha Reiter
High school student from 2013 to 2014
Sasha attended the AMNH Science Research Mentoring Program (SRMP) at the AMNH for the 2013-2014 academic year. They worked in the Molecular Systematics Laboratory where they learned to isolate, amplify, sequence, and edit DNA under the supervision of Stephanie Loria.
Adam Getzler
High school student in 2011
Adam, a student at Plainview Old-Bethpage JFK High School, volunteered at the AMNH during the summer of 2011, sequencing scorpion DNA to further his interest in genetics. He went on to a Bachelor's degree at the University of Chicago.
Michelle Bayefsky-Anand
High school student in 2008
Michelle, a student at Ramaz Upper High School, worked in the Molecular Systematics Laboratory learning to extract, amplify, and sequence scorpion DNA under the supervision of Lauren A. Esposito and Lorenzo Prendini in 2008.
Qiao Rong Huang and Jianhua Lin
Jianhua Lin
High school student from 2006 to 2007
Jianhua attended the NSF High School Research Program in Genetics at the AMNH for two academic years (2005-2007). She learned to conduct measurements and record setal counts under the supervision of Jeremy Huff and Lorenzo Prendini (summer 2006). From fall 2006 she worked in the Molecular Systematics Laboratory extracting, amplifying, and sequencing scorpion DNA.
Qiao Rong Huang and Jianhua Lin
Qiao Rong Huang
High school student from 2006 to 2007
Qiao attended the NSF High School Research Program in Genetics at the AMNH for two academic years (2005-2007). She learned to conduct measurements and record setal counts under the supervision of Jeremy Huff and Lorenzo Prendini (summer 2006). From fall 2006 she worked in the Molecular Systematics Laboratory extracting, amplifying, and sequencing scorpion DNA.
Melanie Ng
High school student from 2004 to 2005
Melanie attended the AMNH High School Science Research Program in Biodiversity at the AMNH for 10 months (September 2004-June 2005). She learned to sort, identify and database specimens, prepare labels, conduct measurements, record setal counts, and prepare photographs with visible and UV light, under the supervision of Lorenzo Prendini and Randy Mercurio. Melanie also worked in the Molecular Systematics Laboratory, under the supervision of Rebecca Budinoff and Tripp MacDonald, where she learned to isolate, amplify, sequence, and edit DNA.
Connie Cai
High school student from 2004 to 2005
Connie attended the AMNH High School Science Research Program in Biodiversity at the AMNH for 10 months (September 2004-June 2005). She learned to sort, identify and database specimens, prepare labels, conduct measurements, record setal counts, and prepare photographs with visible and UV light, under the supervision of Lorenzo Prendini and Randy Mercurio.
Bernard Laszczower
High school student from 2003 to 2004
Bernard attended the NSF After-School Centers in Exploration and New Discovery (ASCEND) program at the AMNH for 8 months (October 2003-May 2004). He worked in the Molecular Systematics Laboratory, under the supervision of Lorenzo Prendini, Diana Pietri and Tarang Sharma, where he learned to isolate, amplify, sequence and edit DNA.
Boitumelo "Tumi" McCallum
High school student from 2003 to 2004
Tumi attended the NSF After-School Centers in Exploration and New Discovery (ASCEND) program at the AMNH for 8 months (October 2003-May 2004). She worked in the Molecular Systematics Laboratory, under the supervision of Lorenzo Prendini, Diana Pietri and Tarang Sharma, where she learned to isolate, amplify, sequence and edit DNA. Tumi passed away in 2007. May she rest in peace.
Volunteers and Field Assistants
The Arachnology Lab at the AMNH has had many dedicated volunteers work with us over the years. With their help we have been able to accomplish a great deal of work. We would like to thank all of our volunteers for their invaluable assistance. If you are interested in volunteering in the Arachnology Lab at the AMNH please visit the Volunteer Department.
Soleil Blanquera
Current Volunteer
Soleil volunteered at the Arachnology Lab in 2025 and 2026, conducting DNA extraction, quantitation, PCR and sequencing, under the supervision of Colby Sain.
Brian Sperber
Current Volunteer
Brian volunteered in the Arachnida and Myriapoda from 2021, assisting Pio Colmenares with sorting, organization and curation of collections.
Victoria Long
Current Volunteer
Victoria is a volunteer who previously worked in the Arachnology Lab as a Technician.
Visitors
Many postdocs and graduate students from other institutions in the U.S. and abroad have visited the AMNH Arachnology Lab in the past, often funded in part by the AMNH Small Grants program (Annette Kade Fellowships, Collections Study Grants and Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Fund). If you are interested in applying for small grants to visit the AMNH, please visit the Richard Gilder Graduate School.
Antonio Galán Sánchez
Museum für Naturkunde, Humboldt-Universität, Berlin, Germany
PhD student in 2025 and 2026
Antonio’s research focuses on the evolution and functional impacts of eye loss in spiders. He is also interested in linyphiid systematics, the online documentation of biodiversity inventories, and the taxonomy of Araneomorphae. As part of his PhD project, Antonio studied the Synspermiata, a diverse but understudied clade of spiders which exhibit extraordinary diversity in eye number. Antonio visited the AMNH collection in January 2025 to revise, identify, and request loan materials. After being awarded an Annette-Kade Fellowship, he returned to the AMNH for three months in 2025 and 2026 to comprehensively survey and document the variation in eyes across the family Pholcidae and other Synspermiata, as well as scan high-quality specimens using the micro-CT facility.
Matias Izquierdo
Universidad Nacional, Cordoba, Argentina
Postdoc in 2025
Matias visited the AMNH for research on spiders.
Breanna Jordan
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
PhD student in 2025
Breanna visited the AMNH for research on sea spiders (Pycnogonida).
Sarah Morris
The George Washington University, Washington, DC
PhD student in 2025
Sarah visited the AMNH for research on spiders.
Daniel Castro-Pereira
Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil
PhD student in 2024
Daniel visited the AMNH for research on whip scorpions (Thelyphonida) supported by a grant from FAPESP.
Kaylin Chong
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
PhD student in 2024
Kaylin visited the AMNH for research on ticks (Acari: Ixodida).
Erik Ciaccio
University of Idaho, Moscow, ID
PhD student in 2024
Erik visited the AMNH for research on mygalomorph spiders.
Valentin Ehrenthal
University of Hamburg, Germany
MS student in 2024
Valentin visited the AMNH for research on Asian scorpions supported by an Annette Kade Fellowship.
Miguel Garcia
Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Mexico
PhD student in 2024
Miguel visited the AMNH for his research on spiders.
Leonel Martinez
Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, Argentina
PhD student in 2024 and 2025
Leonel visited the AMNH twice (2024, 2025) for research on spiders.
Paulo Pantoja
Federal University of Pará, Brazil
PhD student in 2024
Paulo visited the AMNH for research on spiders.
Karina Silvestre
University of Idaho, Moscow, ID
PhD student in 2024
Karina visited the AMNH for research on mygalomorph spiders.
Pedro Martins
Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil
PhD student in 2023
Pedro visited the AMNH for research on spiders.
Goran Shikak
University of Colorado, Denver, CO
PhD student in 2023
Goran visited the AMNH for research on Solifugae.
Pietro Tardelli
The George Washington University, Washington, DC
PhD student in 2023
Pietro visited the AMNH for research on spiders.
Arnau Calatayud-Mascarell
University of Idaho, Moscow, ID
PhD student from 2022 to 2025
Arnau visited the AMNH three times (2022, 2023, 2025) for his research on mygalomorph spiders.
David Chamé-Vázquez
Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, La Paz, Mexico
Postdoc in 2022
David visited the AMNH for research on phrurolithid spiders.
Sahibzada M. Jawad
Ismailia College, Peshawar, Pakistan
PhD student in 2022
Sahib visited the AMNH for research on Pakistani scorpions supported by a HEC Pakistan Ph.D. Fellowship.
Willians Porto
Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, Argentina
PhD student in 2022
Willians visited the AMNH for research on harvestmen (Opiliones).
Valerie Warhol
Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA
Volunteer researcher in 2022
Valerie visited the AMNH for research on spiders.
Shahan Derkarabetian
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Postdoc in 2019
Shahan visited the AMNH for research on harvestmen (Opiliones).
Jairo A. Moreno-González
Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brasil
PhD Student in 2019
Jairo received his PhD from the Instituto de Biociencias, Universidad de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. His research interests are focused on systematics and evolution of some arachnid orders such as Scorpiones (Buthidae: Tityus), and Pedipalpi (Schizomida, Uropygi and Amblypygi). His PhD project deals with the systematic revision of Tityus (Archaeotityus) using phenotypic and genetic evidence. He visited the AMNH for six months to examine material and score morphological characters for his thesis disseration.
Andria de Paula Santos da Silva
Instituto de Biociencias, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brasil
PhD Student in 2019
Andria's PhD project deals with the systematics of the scorpion genus Ananteris (Buthidae). She visited the AMNH collection to examine a large number of these scorpions and generate morphological data.
Catalina Romero
Universidad Nacional, Colombia
PhD Student in 2019
Catalina spent a few months visiting the AMNH collections to examine specimens and collect morphological data for her PhD thesis on pseudoscorpions of the family Whitiidae.
Miguel Medrano
Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
PhD Student in 2019
Miguel spent a week at the AMNH examining type specimens for his PhD project on systematics of Cosmetidae (Opiliones, Laniatores).
Rene Barba
Instituto de Ecología y Sistemática, Havana, Cuba | Collections Study Grant
Student in 2019
Rene's research focuses on the pseudoscorpion families Sternophoridae, Olpiidae and Garypinidae. He visited the AMNH collections to examine and image type and nontype material from the Caribbean.
Jahnavi Joshi
Natural History Museum, UK
Post-Doctoral Fellow in 2019
Jahnnavi visited the AMNH to examine a series of old centipedes for an ongoing research project at the Natural History Museum in London.
Aaron Goodman
California Academy of Sciences, USA
Master's Student from 2018 to 2019
Aaron is mainly interested in scorpion systematics. He came to the AMNH to generate morphological data for his master's dissertation on the genus Centruroides (Buthidae).
Stephan Schaffrath
University of Cologne, Germany
PhD Student in 2014 and 2018
For Stephan's PhD he visited the AMNH to receive training in DNA isolation, amplification and sequencing while investigating the chemical composition of scorpion venoms, with a view to using species-specific signatures for systematics. Later, Stephan returned to spend three months at the AMNH generating DNA and morphological data for his PhD thesis, focused on the scorpion genus Euscorpius (Euscorpiidae).
Carlos Alberto Martinez Muñoz
University of Turku, Finland
PhD Student from 2018 to 2019
Carlos' main research interest is focused on Myriapods. He came to the AMNH to examine and organize a series of old types described by Chamberlin.
Callum Mclean
Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
PhD Student in 2018
Callum visited the AMNH collections to examine various species of Amblypygi for his doctoral thesis, focused in biomechanics of predatory structures in arthropods.
Shlomo Cain
University of Haifa, Oranim, Israel
MSc Student in 2018
Shlomo visited the AMNH for three months to examine scorpions of the genus Buthacus (Buthidae) for his master's dissertation.
Ivan Magalhaes
Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Bernardino Rivadavia, Argentina | CONICET | Doctoral fellow, Division Aracnologia
PhD Student in 2017
Ivan is a PhD candidate at the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", Argentina. His research focuses on spider systematics and its interface with their evolution and biogeography. His current project aims at resolving the systematics of crevice weavers (family Filistatidae), a group of shy and little-studied spiders most diverse in dry subtropical areas. His is also interested in the systematics of sand spiders (Sicarius) and spiny orb weavers (Micrathena).
Gerardo Contreras
Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autonóma de México (IBUNAM), Mexico City
Student from 2015 to 2017
Gerardo visited the AMNH to examine the collection of the North American scorpions of the genus Vaejovis and relatives, and score characters for his phylogenetic analysis. He returned a second time to generate DNA sequences in the molecular lab.
Rodrigo Monjáraz Ruedas
Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autonóma de México (IBUNAM), Mexico City
PhD student in 2014 and from 2016 to 2017
Rodrigo is studying the Schizomida fauna of Mexico. He visited the AMNH to examine the schizomid holdings of the collection and score morphological characters for his PhD research.
Tebogo Ledwaba
Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, Pretoria, South Africa
Student in 2017
Tebogo visited the AMNH for 2 months to digitize the AMNH collection of African scorpions and part of the Karoo BioGaps Grant funded by the South African National Research Foundation.
Jesus Alberto Cruz-López
Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autonóma de México (IBUNAM), Mexico City
Student in 2017
Jesus visited the AMNH to examine the collection of mexican harvestmen (Opiliones) as part of his dissertation research.
Ricardo Botero-Trujillo
Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Bernardino Rivadavia, Argentina | CONICET | Doctoral fellow, Division Aracnologia | Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Grant
PhD student in 2016
Ricardo Botero Trujillo earned his biology degree from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá. While an undergraduate student, he became interested in arachnids and started working on scorpions from his native country, Colombia. Gradually, hooded thick-spider (order Ricinulei) and sun-spiders (order Solifugae) became part of his research interests. After a 5-year period working in the pharmaceutical industry, Ricardo moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina to start his PhD His doctoral thesis consists of a taxonomic revision and phylogenetic analysis of the South American sun-spider family Mummuciidae. After being awarded a Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Grant, Ricardo visited the AMNH to study the collections of the groups he works on.
Dulce Flor Piedra
PhD student in 2016
Dulce came to examine the collection of Pseudoscorpiones for her dissertation research.
Rebecca Godwin
Auburn University, AL
PhD student in 2016
Rebecca visited the AMNH for research on trapdoor spiders.
Francisco Salgueiro Sepulveda
Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autonóma de México (IBUNAM), Mexico City
PhD student in 2016
Francisco spent a month at the AMNH to study the collection of tetragnathid spiders for his dissertation.
Diego Barrales
Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autonóma de México (IBUNAM), Mexico City
Student in 2016
Diego visted the AMNH to examine material belonging to the species Mastigoproctus giganteus especially from localities within the United States. His findings will be incorporated into a morphological analysis used for a species delimitation project.
Samuel Mwangi
West Texas A&M University, Canyon, TX | National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi | Theodore Roosevelt Fellowship, Richard Lounsbery Foundation, Collections Study Grant
MSc student in 2005 and 2016
Samuel's MSc research focuses on the diversity of Kenyan scorpions of Kenya. As student at the National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, he visited the AMNH for training in the Molecular Systematics Laboratory. He later returned to the AMNH to examine and photograph specimens for his Masters research at West Texas A&M University.
Bastian-Jesper Klußmann-Fricke
University of Rostock, Germany | Annette-Kade Fellowship
Student in 2015
Bastian visited the AMNH to study the respiratory and circulatory systems of camel spiders (Solifugae) using osmium tetroxide staining, corrosion casting, and microCT.
Gustavo Silva de Miranda
Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen
PhD student in 2014 and 2015
Gustavo visited the AMNH twice during his PhD to work on the collection of whip spiders (Amblypygi) for his revision of the family Charinidae. He was trained and generated DNA sequence data from charinid samples in the AMNH molecular lab.
Ingrid Catalina Romero Ortiz
Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá
Graduate student in 2015
Ingrid Catalina visited the AMNH to study the pseudoscorpion holdings and types as part of her graduate research on their taxonomy and systematics.
Daniela Ramírez
Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autonóma de México (IBUNAM), Mexico City
PhD student in 2014
Daniela visited the AMNH to examine the collection of tarantula spiders (Theraphosidae) as part of her PhD research.
Carlos Santibañez-López
Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autonóma de México (IBUNAM), Mexico City | Collections Study Grant, Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Grant
PhD student in 2009, from 2011 to 2012, and in 2014
Carlos revised the genus Diplocentrus (Diplocentridae) for his PhD and has studied the taxonomy of other scorpions occurring in Mexico. He first visited the AMNH examine the collection of Diplocentridae and later returned to extract, amplify and sequence DNA from Diplocentridae, and to score a morphological matrix for phylogenetic analysis.
Roberta Engel
University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
Student in 2012
Roberta's research focused on the systematics of pseudoscorpions. She visited the AMNH to examine the holdings of Australian pseudoscorpions.
David Vrech
Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina
PhD student in 2012
David visited the AMNH for research on the sperm packages of scorpions.
Humberto Yoji Yamaguti
Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil
PhD student in 2009 and 2011
Humberto conducted a revision and phylogenetic analysis of the scorpion genus Rhopalurus (Buthidae) for his PhD He visited the AMNH to extract, amplify and sequence DNA from Rhopalurus samples and to use materials to score characters.
Patricia Carrera
Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Argentina | Collections Study Grant
PhD student in 2009
Patricia studied mating behavior and sexual selection in bothriurid scorpions for her PhD She visited the AMNH to study the structure and homology of the scorpion hemispermatophore.
Jesus Alfonso Ballesteros Chavez
Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autonóma de México (IBUNAM), Mexico City | Collections Study Grant
MSc student in 2008
Jesus' MSc research aimed to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships of the species belonging to the Neotropical whip spider genus Paraphrynus (Amblypygi) and its relationship with the rest of the genera of Phrynidae. He visited the AMNH to study the Neotropical phrynids. He then moved to George Washington University for a PhD on spiders.
Fabio Akashi Hernandes
UNESP: São Paulo State University, Brazil
MSc student in 2008 and 2016
Fabio's main interests are the taxonomy of plant mites (Bdellidae, Tetranychidae, Raphignathoidea) and feather mites (Astigmata), with an emphasis on the taxonomy and phylogeny of the genus Aponychus and related genera (Acari, Tetranychidae). He visited the AMNH to study mite types from several groups.
Andrés Ojanguren-Affilastro
Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, Buenos Aires, Argentina | AMNH Collections Study Grant
PhD student in 2005 and 2007
Andrés' PhD research was a revision of the diverse South American bothriurid genus Brachistosternus. He visited the AMNH twice, the first time to extract, amplify and sequence DNA from bothriurid samples and a second time to continue his work on bothriurid systematics.
Alexander V. Gromov
Institute of Zoology, Almaty, Kazakhstan | Collections Study Grant and NSF BS&I Grant
Student in 2007
Alex is interested in central Asian solifuges and is revising the family Karschiidae. He visited the AMNH to work on the solpugid collections as part of the Global Survey and Inventory of Solifugae.
Carsten Kamenz
Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany | Annette Kade Fellowship
Student from 2005 to 2006
Carsten was a visiting student and a postdoc.
Valerio Vignoli
University of Siena, Italy | Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Grant
PhD student in 2004 and 2006
Valerio revised the taxonomy, ecology and biogeography of Euscorpius for his PhD. He visited the AMNH twice to revise the North American scorpion family Typhlochactidae. He also participated in AMNH trips to Benin, Costa Rica, Morocco, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal.
Christian Wirkner
Friedrich-Schiller University, Jena, Germany | Annette Kade Fellowship
Student in 2004
Christian studied the comparative morphology of arthropods from phylogenetic and evolutionary perspectives and, more specifically, organ evolution and transformation, first at Jena University before moving to Rostock University. He visited the AMNH to study the scorpion circulatory system.
Christina Bisulca
University of Delaware, Newark, DE | Winterthur Art Conservation Fellowship
MSc student in 2003
Christina visited the AMNH during her MSc in Art Conservation at the University of Delaware, working with the Department of Natural Sciences Conservation. Bisulca surveyed the state of curation of the non-spider Arachnid and Myriapod Collection, resulting in upgrades to the glassware and closures housing the collection.
Amazonas Chagas, Jr.
Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Postgraduate student in 2003
After his Masters, Amazonas visited the AMNH while in the USA to work at the North Carolina State Museum, Raleigh. At the AMNH, Amazonas studied scolopendromorph centipedes from around the world.
Lionel Monod
University of Geneva, Switzerland
Student in 2002
Lionel Monod was a visiting student and graduate student.