Lab Members
“Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.”
- Theodosius Dobzhansky, evolutionary biologist
Chris A. Hamilton
My goal as an advisor is to help students become broadly trained in arthropod systematics and phylogenetics while they develop as independent researchers by learning to identify interesting questions and the approaches necessary to address those questions. As a Native person in academia, I want to be effective in my roles – as a mentor, as a holder of knowledge, and as an educator.
View my faculty profile or CV
Past President - Systematics, Evolution, & Biodiversity section of the Entomological Society of America (SysEB)
email - hamiltonlab [at] uidaho.edu or Twitter - @8legs2fangs
Graduate Students
PhD students
Karina Silvestre Bringas
Karina is working on understanding the diversity and evolutionary history of the tarantula genus Aphonopelma across the Madrean Pine-Oak Woodlands Hotspot (aka - the sky islands of southern Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico). This is Karina holding a mature male A. catalina.
Karina comes to us from Marshal Hedin’s lab at San Diego State University, where she worked on jumping spider research as an undergraduate.
Erik Ciaccio
Erik is working on understanding the species diversity and evolutionary patterns and processes within the trapdoor spider genus Antrodiaetus. This is Erik finding his very first Antrodiaetus, in the Galiuro Mountains of Arizona!
Erik also comes to us from Marshal Hedin’s lab @ SDSU, where he got his Masters working on the spider genus Hypochilus. Thank you Marshal!
Arnau Calatayud Mascarell
Arnau is working on understanding the diversity and evolutionary history of the mygalomorph genus Euagrus across the southwestern United States, the Madrean Pine-Oak Woodlands Hotspot (aka - the sky islands of southern Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico), and Mexico.
Arnau comes to us from Miguel Arnedo’s lab at the Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Fac. Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, where he worked on mygalomorph spider research for his Masters degree. This is Arnau in the Sahara Desert, in an expedition to Morocco searching for tarantulas.
Postdoctoral Researcher
Ethan Briggs
Ethan comes to us from the Lyn Cook and Cynthia Riginos labs at The University of Queensland Australia, where he worked on the biogeography and systematics of the Australian tarantulas for his PhD. He joined the AMS lab in Fall 2023 and will be working on spider and moth genomics.
Lab Manager
Andrea Noble Stuen
Andrea is the glue that holds together the Arthropod Molecular Systematics Lab. She joined the AMS lab in Fall 2020 and is loving the variety of working here, from molecular lab techniques to data management to macro photography and teaching and supporting others. She received her MS in Natural Resources from the University of Idaho, and a BA in Environmental Biology and Fine Arts from University of Colorado. She managed the daily work in a limnology (freshwater ecology) lab in Colorado, and brings experience from work in analytical chemistry, tree physiology, soils, fish ecology, and forestry. She is now thoroughly enjoying exploring arthropods and DNA.
