MICHELLE E. AFKHAMI Cox Science Center University of Miami [email protected] 1301 Memorial Dr. Department of Biology [email protected] Coral Gables, FL 33146 michelleafkhami.wordpress.com

Professional Appointments

Assistant Professor of Ecology Jan 2016 – Current University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL

National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, Plant Genome Initiative Sept 2014 – Dec 2015 Univ. of Toronto, Toronto, ON and Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI Supervisors: John Stinchcombe, Maren Friesen, Yair Shachar Hill

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Departmental Research Fellow Nov 2013 – Aug 2014 University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Supervisor: John Stinchcombe

Education

Ph.D. – Population Biology Mar 2013 University of California, Davis, CA. (GPA: 4.0/4.0) Committee: Sharon Strauss (advisor), Kevin Rice, Jennifer Rudgers, John Stachowicz

M.A. – Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (thesis-based) Jan 2008 Rice University, Houston, TX. (GPA: 4.0/4.0) Committee: Jennifer Rudgers (advisor), Kenneth Whitney, Julian N. Holland

B.S. – Ecology and Evolutionary Biology May 2006 Rice University, Houston, TX. (GPA: 3.973/4.0, Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa) Honors Thesis Advisors: Joan Strassmann, David Queller

Fellowships, Grants, and Awards Total Awarded ≈ $895,000

2014 – National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, Plant Genome Initiative ($216,000) 2014 – NSERC Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship ($140,000, Declined) 2013 – Ecology and Evol. Biology Departmental Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Toronto ($80,000) 2013 – National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, Plant Genome Init. ($207,000, Declined) 2012 – Mrs. George F. Jewett, Jr. Scholar, Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Award ($10,000) 2012 – Dean’s Mentorship Award, College of Biological Sciences ($5,000) 2012 – Hardman Foundation Award ($2,100) 2012 – Max Planck Institute Integral Projection Modeling Course Accommodations Scholarship 2012 – American Association of University Women Dissertation Fellowship Alternate 2011 – ARCS Scholar, Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Award ($10,000) 2011 – Hardman Foundation Award ($2,500) 2011 – Center for Population Biology Travel Grant ($500) 2010 – National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant ($14,991) 2010 – Center for Population Biology Research Grant ($2,100) 2010 – Center for Population Biology Travel Grant ($800) 2009 – Mildred E. Mathias Graduate Student Research Grant ($1,729) 2009 – Center for Population Biology Research Grant ($1,500) 2008 – Center for Population Biology Research Grant ($1,700) 2008 – Golden Key International Honour Society 2007 – National Science Foundation Graduate Student Fellowship ($121,500) 2007 – UC Davis Graduate Student Match Fellowship ($40,500) 2007 – Bodega Marine Laboratory Travel Grant Award ($975) 2006 – Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Endowed Fellowship ($35,033) 2006 – The Julian Huxley Best Thesis Award, Dept. of Ecology and Evol. Biology, Rice University ($100)

Publications *undergraduate coauthor

Afkhami, M.E. & J.R. Stinchcombe. (2016) Multiple mutualist effects on genome-wide expression in the tripartite association between Medicago truncatula, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and mycorrhizal fungi. Molecular Ecology. 25: 4946-4962.

Afkhami, M.E., & S.Y. Strauss. (2016) Native fungal endophytes suppress an exotic dominant and increase plant diversity over small and large spatial scales. Ecology. 97: 1159-1169.

E.I. Jones, M.E. Afkhami, E. Akcay, J.L. Bronstein, R. Bshary, M.E. Frederickson, K.D. Heath, J. Hoeksema, J. Ness, S. Pankey, S.S. Porter, J.L. Sachs, K. Scharnagl, & M.L. Friesen. (2015) Cheaters must prosper: reconciling theoretical and empirical perspectives on cheating in mutualism. Ecology Letters. 18: 1270–84.

Afkhami, M.E., P.J. McIntyre, & S.Y. Strauss. (2014) Mutualist-mediated effects on species’ range limits across large geographic scales. Ecology Letters. 17: 1265-1273. (Recommended by Faculty 1000, 21 citations)

Charlton, N.D., K.D. Craven, M.E. Afkhami, B.A. Hall*, S.R. Ghimire, & C.A. Young. (2014) Interspecific hybridization and bioactive alkaloid variation increases diversity in endophytic Epichloë species of Bromus laevipes. FEMS Microbiology Ecology. 90: 276-289.

Afkhami, M.E., J.A. Rudgers, & J.J. Stachowicz. (2014) Multiple Mutualist Effects: Conflict and synergy in multispecies mutualisms. Ecology. 95: 833-844.

Gorischek, A.M.*, M.E. Afkhami, E.K. Seifert, & J.A. Rudgers. (2013) Fungal symbionts as manipulators of reproductive biology. The American Naturalist. 181: 562-570.

**Covered by Science News: Pennisi, E. (March 2013) Fungus get off my lawn.

Afkhami, M. E. (2012) Fungal endophyte-grass symbioses are rare in the California floristic province and other regions with Mediterranean-influenced climates. Fungal Ecology special issue. 5: 345-352.

Afkhami, M. E. & J. A Rudgers. (2009) Endophyte-mediated resistance to herbivores depends on herbivore identity in the wild grass, Festuca subverticillata. Environmental Entomology. 38: 1086-1095. (29 citations)

Rudgers, J.A., M. E. Afkhami, M. A. Rúa, A. J. Davitt, S. Hammer, & V. M. Huguet. (2009) A fungus among us: broad patterns of endophyte distribution in the grasses. Ecology. 90(6): 1531-1539. (59 citations)

Afkhami, M. E. & J. A. Rudgers. (2008) Symbiosis Lost: Imperfect vertical transmission of fungal endophytes in grasses. The American Naturalist. 172(3): 405-416. (77 citations)

Afkhami, M. E. & J. E. Strassmann. (2007) Adult Yellow-crowned Night-herons face in opposite directions at the nest. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology. 119(4):747–749.

In Review, Completed, and In Prep Manuscripts

Afkhami, M.E., D.L. Mahler, J.H. Burns, M.G. Weber, M.F., Wojciechowski, J. Sprent, & S.Y. Strauss. (In Review) Effect of nodulation with N-fixing bacteria on diversification of legumes. American Journal of Botany.

Carscadden, K.A., M.E. Afkhami, C.A. Arnillas, M.W. Cadotte, N.C. Emery, D. Gravel, S.W. Livingstone, & J.J. Wiens. (In Review) Broadening the horizons of niche breadth research. Ecology Letters.

Batestone, R., K.A. Carscadden, M.E Afkhami, M. Frederickson. (In prep; Proposal Accepted) Moving beyond cheaters in mutualisms: niche breadth explains prevalence of generalist hosts. The American Naturalist.

Select Presentations (Total = 43, Invited talks in BOLD)

2016 – Ecological Society of America. Fort Lauderdale, FL. 2015 – Cornell University. Ithaca, NY 2015 – University of Rochester. Rochester, NY 2015 – Gordon Conference on Ecological and Evolutionary Genomics. Biddeford, MN 2015 – Ecological Society of America. Baltimore, MD 2015 – Michigan State University. East Lansing, MI 2015 – Yale University. New Haven, CT 2015 – University of Kentucky. Lexington, KY 2015 – Iowa State University. Ames, IA 2015 – Purdue University. West Lafayette, IN 2015 – University of Tennessee. Knoxville, KY 2015 – Utah State University. Logan, UT 2015 – University of Oklahoma. Norman, OK 2015 – University of California LA. Los Angeles, CA 2015 – University of Miami. Miami, FL 2014 – Dartmouth University. Hanover, NH 2014 – Oregon State University. Corvallis, OR 2014 – University of Wisconsin, Madison. Madison, WI 2014 – York University. Ontario, Canada 2014 – National Science Foundation Plant Genomics Meeting. Arlington, VA 2014 – University of Toronto, St. George. Ontario, Canada. 2014 – Ecological Society of America. Sacramento, CA 2014 – Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution’s Genomes to Biomes. Quebec, Canada 2014 – University of Toronto, Mississauga. Ontario, Canada 2013 – Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis. Davis, CA 2013 – Dept. of Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis. Davis, CA 2012 – Symbiosis Meeting. Yosemite National Park, CA 2012 – Mathias Symposium. Bodega Bay, CA 2012 – Ecological Society of America. Portland, OR 2012 – International Symposium on the Molecular Breeding of Forage and Turf. Salt Lake, UT (coauthor) 2011 – Ecological Society of America. Austin, TX 2010 – Ecological Society of America. Pittsburgh, PA 2010 – International Symposium on Fungal Endophyte of Grasses (ISFEG) – Mycological Society of America (MSA) Joint Meeting. Lexington, KY. (oral and several poster presentations) 2009 – Ecological Society of America. Albuquerque, NM 2007 – Gordon Conference on plant-herbivore interactions. Ventura, CA 2007 – Ecological Society of America – Society for Ecological Restoration Conference. San Jose, CA 2007 – Rice University. Houston, TX 2006 – Syracuse University. Syracuse, NY

Professional Societies, Workshops, and News

(A) Professional Societies (within last 5 years): Amer Assoc for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Canadian Society for Ecology & Evolution (CSEE), Ecological Society of Amer (ESA), Mycological Society of Amer (MSA)

(B) Working Groups: NCEAS WG: MacroMycoFunc - Forming an integrated understanding of function across fungi (2016-), Quantifying Niche Breadth WG (2015- ), NCEAS WG: Cheating in Mutualisms (2012-2015)

(C) Workshops: Software Carpentry Workshop (2014), Python Methods Workshop (2014), AMF Methods Workshop (2013), Max Planck Institute’s Integral Projection Modeling Course (2012), ESA’s Integral Projection Modeling Workshop (2012), Center for Population Biology Workshops on: Phylogenetics Methods (2013), Hierarchical Models (2011), R Tools (2008), and Coevolution (2008)

(D) In the News

- Interviewed for an article on fungal endophytes in the popular magazine Organic Gardening (2014). - Profiled by the University of Toronto School of Graduate Studies (2014).

Teaching Experience

Classroom: Ecology (BIL 330; Fall 2016, University of Miami; Instructor of Record) Ecology lab (BIL 331; Fall 2016, University of Miami; Instructor of Record)

Introduction to Biology: Principles of Ecology and Evolution (TA at UC Davis, 2011-2), Graduate Seminar: Evolution of Mutualism (Co-Organizer at UC Davis, 2010), Insect Biology: Lecture, Lab, & Field Courses (TA/Guest Lecturer at Rice University, 2007), Organic Chemistry (Reader at Rice University, 2004-5)

Picnic Day Community Outreach: Native Grass and Wildflower Booth (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012): Organized/ran a booth each year that provides information, seeds, and plants to teach the general public about native plant conservation, native gardening, and ecology/evolution of charismatic flora.

Kids into Discovering Science (KiDS) Field Trip (2011, 2012, 2013): Co-designed/ran ecology modules for annual field trip to McLaughlin research reserve for 5th graders from a low income, rural school. 2011 module: Disturbance and Diversity; 2012 module: Predator-Prey Interactions in Serpentine vs. Non-Serpentine Communities. 2013: Trained grad students on module.

Mentoring Experience

Graduate Students – Kasey Kiesewetter (PhD; 2016-current) Awarded: Lisa D. Anness Fellowship in Tropical Plant Biology, $27,000

Postdoctoral Fellows – Aaron David (2016-current)

Mentored >50 Undregraduate Students Includes >25 women, ~10 under-represented minority students, and 3 students with disabilities. *student went on to research job (Total = 18) ** student also went/will go on to grad school in ecology or related field (Total = 12)

 University of Miami: Adriana Bolanos, Shivam Khosla, Sathvik Palakurty, Diego Rodriguez  University of Toronto: Gloria Cho** (NSERC Undergrad Research Support Award, ~$6,000), Najma Aryan, Liliana Corak, Michelle Kwan, Hasom Lee, Arleen Matinca, Fiona So, Mia Song**, Teresa Tufts

 UC Davis: Sharleen Agvateesiri, Aaron Alokozai**, Mitchell Bamford**, Audrey Duong, Desalegn Ejigu*, Dai Fukumoto, Naisha Gaines*, Kyle Garrone (SUREE Intern), Lindsey Hack**, Sergei Horowitz, Michael Hower, Caprice Lee** (Center for Biophotonics Science & Tech Symposium’s Best Oral Presentation, 2011), Christopher Liao, Kristina Mardinian, Megan Mateo**, Kristin Matsumoto*, Melissa Moore**, Dayna Napolillo*, Scott Peacock, Achille Peiris, Tran Phan*, Grant Reed*, Nicholas Sou, Thuy Tran**, Kathryn Weldon, Travis Winter

 Rice University: Olivia Bartlett**, Carina Baskett**, Alex Gorischek (Thesis published in American Naturalist), John Land*, William Valencia, (Paul Wheeler and Joy Gooch Research Award, $200)

 Howard University: Brittany Stallworth** (Evolution & Ecology Graduate Admissions Pathway)

 Young Scholars High School Students: Nicholas Meyer, Jorge Vargas

Dean’s Mentorship Award for outstanding mentor of UC Davis College of Bio Sciences students

Professional Service and Outreach

2016 – Judged Fairchild Graduate Student Symposium at University of Miami 2014 – Panelist for “Careers and Research in Ecology & Evolution” Undergraduate Weekend Workshop 2014 – Judge for Undergraduate Honors Thesis Research Award, University of Toronto 2014 – Judge for Braun/Bell Award for Best Poster/Talk at ESA Conference 2013 – IIASA Peccei and Mikhalevich Award Reviewer

2013 – Graduate School Question/Answer Panel for Undergraduates 2013 – Center for Population Biology Seminar Speaker Host for Megan Frederickson 2012 – Evolution and Ecology Faculty Search Graduate Student Panel Member 2012 – Center for Population Biology Postdoctoral Search Graduate Student Panel Member 2012 – Picnic Day Community Outreach Organizational Committee 2012 – Graduate Student Recruitment Field Trip to Quail Ridge Reserve Organizer 2012 – Evolution and Ecology Seminar Speaker Nominator/Host for Jennifer Rudgers 2011 – Population Biology Graduate Group Admissions Committee 2011 – Chancellor’s Ambassador for University of California, Davis 2011 – Center for Population Biology Workshop on Hierarchical Models Co-organizer 2011 – Graduate Student Recruitment Field Trip to Quail Ridge Reserve Co-Organizer 2011 – Kids into Discovering Science (KiDS) Field Trip (2011, 2012, 2013) 2010 – Evol. and Ecology Seminar Speaker Nominator/Host for Judith Bronstein 2009 – Symbiosis Discussion Group Co-organizer 2009 – Quail Ridge Reserve Advisory Committee (2009-2011) 2009 – Picnic Day Outreach: Native Plant Booth (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)

Reviewer for: African Journal of Agriculture, American Journal of Botany, The American Naturalist, Coral Reefs (2), Ecological Entomology, Ecological Research, Ecology (3), Evolution (2), Fungal Ecology (2), Journal of Ecology (2), Journal of Medicinal Plant Research, Oecologica (4), Plant and Soil, National Science Foundation