معرفی
Shala Hankison is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Ohio Wesleyan University. Her research focuses on animal behavior as an evolutionary mechanism, particularly in fishes, examining sexual selection, female mating preferences, and parental behavior. She combines experimentation and observation with species like sailfin mollies and threespined sticklebacks.
- Education: B.A. from Ohio Wesleyan University, M.S. from Ohio University, Ph.D. from Clemson University
Research Interests:
- Sexual selection and its role in population divergence/speciation
- Interaction between natural and sexual selection
- Parental behavior and offspring development (nature vs. nurture)
- Behavioral ecology in aquatic organisms
Article Trends: Her publications emphasize quantitative behavioral assays, evolutionary implications of sperm storage, visual signaling, and geographic population genetics. Recent works analyze mate preference, reproductive strategies, and behavioral repeatability.
Scientific Awards:
- 2023 Bishop Herbert Welch Meritorious Teaching Award
- 2016 Sherwood Dodge Shankland Award for Encouragement of Teachers
Advising & Grants: Mentors students in independent research (e.g., microbiome studies in Poecilia latipinna) and internships at institutions like the Columbus Zoo and Ohio Wildlife Center. Secured funding from the American Association of University Women for STEM peer mentorship programs.
Labs & Teams: Leads the Hankison Lab, which collaborates with multiple institutions and engages students in fieldwork (e.g., Florida) and travel-learning trips to Tanzania and the Galapagos Islands.
