Thomas A. Stewart, Ph.D. (he/him)
PI
I am an evolutionary and developmental biologist interested in explaining broad patterns of morphological diversity. My work spans a number of fields (developmental biology, paleontology, and functional morphology), and my goal is to establish an inclusive laboratory that can support scientists from all backgrounds.
Yunyan Mo
PhD student in Biology
My undergraduate work focused on paleontology, specifically comparative anatomy and systematics of Paleozoic ray-finned fishes. For my PhD, I am interested in combining developmental biology with the fossil record to understand the origination of novel traits in early vertebrates.
Ayesha Iqbal
PhD student in Biology
My Master’s research was based on elucidation of cis-regulatory regions in transcriptional mediator gene using comparative sequence analysis and functional approaches. As a PhD student, I am concerned about understanding the evolutionary origin of adipose fin by analyzing the genes and the developmental modules involved in the growth and shaping of the fins.
Juri Miyamae
Senior Research Technician
Eli Tenenbaum
Undergraduate Researcher
I am a junior biology major with a history minor, looking to go to medical school after Penn State. I am currently working on establishing methods for quantification of cartilage cells as it pertains to how fin skeletal cells respond to juvenile behaviors.
Other undergraduate researchers: Evelyn Mastaglio (2025-present), Lucy Karn (2025-present), Isabelle Jeoun (2026-present) and Carlota Blanco (2026-present)
lab alumni
Michelle Gilbert, postdoc 2022-2024. Current position: Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Biology, Penn State University email
Bianca Vechinski, undergraduate researcher 2025-2026
Rachel Lexon, undergraduate researcher 2024-2026
Gabriella Esposito, undergraduate researcher 2023-2025
Alex Kwiatkowski, undergraduate researcher 2022-2025
Ciara Woodburn, undergraduate researcher 2022-2024
Sophia Emkey, undergraduate researcher 2023
Evan Buck, lab manager 2022-2023