Jamie C Winternitz
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Jamie C. Winternitz Department of Population Biology Phone: +420 777 870 604 Institute of Vertebrate Biology Email: [email protected] Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Website: https://sites.google.com/site/winternitzresearchsite/home 675 02 Studenec 122 Czech Republic EDUCATION Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute of Botany, ASCR, Brno, Czech Republic 2013 - 2015 Doctorate of Philosophy in Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA Advisor: Sonia M. Altizer 2006 - 2012 Junior Year Abroad in Biological Sciences, Lancaster University, UK 2004 Bachelor of Science in Ecology, Evolution, & Behavior, Honors, University of California, Los Angeles, CA Advisor: Daniel T. Blumstein 2005 PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Instructor January to May 2013 Biological Sciences, University of Georgia, GA Dr. Mark Farmer ([email protected]), Chair of Biological Sciences • Instructor for basic biology laboratory skills course, responsible for coordinating labs, supplies, and curriculum. • Taught technical skills, DNA extraction, use of restriction enzymes, PCR and ELISAs to undergraduate Biology majors. • Created assignments, grading rubrics, and a lab manual to further student understanding of course objectives. Research Technician June 2012 to May 2013 Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, GA Dr. Daniel G. Streicker ([email protected]) • Managed genetics laboratory space, supplies, and equipment. • Performed DNA extraction, PCR, and sequencing for mammalian tissue and blood samples. • Analyzed microsatellite data for population genetic studies on vampire bats. Head Teaching Assistant June to August 2012 Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, GA Dr. Scott Connelly ([email protected]) • Lead organizer for lab course, responsible for coordinating labs, field trips, supplies, and curriculum. • Taught ecology, conservation, and population/community concepts to undergraduate Ecology majors. • Led field trips and in-class discussions on ecological themes. • Created assignments and grading rubrics to further student understanding of course objectives. Lead Teaching Assistant September to May 2010 - 2012 Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, GA Dr. J Vaun McArthur ([email protected]) • Lead organizer for course TAs, responsible for coordinating labs, field trips, supplies, and curriculum. • Taught ecology, conservation, and population/community concepts to undergraduate Ecology majors and non-majors. • Led field trips and in-class discussions on ecological themes. • Created assignments and grading rubrics to further student understanding of course objectives. EcoReach Outreach Coordinator August 2007 - 2012 Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, GA Dr. Scott Connelly ([email protected]) • Head coordinator of Ecoreach, an outreach program that teaches ecology to community grade school children and their families. Participated at dozens of local schools and community events, interacting with over 500 students. • Organized a webpage and list-serve to recruit volunteers for outreach opportunities. Responsible for materials and training of volunteers for outreach programs. Research Assistant March 2008 Monarch Disease Ecology Project, Chinqua and Pelon, Mexico Dr. Sonia Altizer ([email protected]) • Assisted with field research on the ecological factors affecting prevalence of an infectious protozoan parasite on Monarch over-wintering populations. • In charge of netting monarchs, recording morphological characters, and digitally scanning hundreds of wings for morphometric and color analysis. • Analyzed data using SPSS for significant relationships between infection status and wing morphology. Trail Crew Worker January to April 2006 Student Conservation Association, Florida National Scenic Trail, FL Bob Woods ([email protected]), Project Manager, Florida National Scenic Trail • Worked on a team of five trail crew members to create new and maintain existing trail in northern Florida. Experienced living in remote areas in primitive conditions for 10+ days. Experienced with backpacking. • Regularly carried >50lbs of equipment and material to build boardwalks in remote areas. Experienced using hand tools and construction equipment. Research Assistant October 2005 Bodega Marine Laboratory, University of California, Davis Ted Stankowich ([email protected]) • Assisted graduate student with his dissertation research on the evolution of predator recognition in mule deer. • Responsible for locating deer, setting up video cameras, and recording the behavior of deer presented predator stimuli. This work led to a dissertation chapter. Field Researcher June to September 2005 - 2007 Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, CO Dr. Daniel Blumstein ([email protected]) • Field researcher for the long-term study of yellow-bellied marmot behavior and ecology. • Duties included working as a team for trapping, marking, collecting blood and fecal samples, and observing the behavior of marmots. • Individually responsible for play-back experiments that tested hypotheses on the adaptive responses of marmots to specific stimuli and behavioral studies exploring male motivation for alarm calling. This led to publications in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology and Animal Behavior. Research Assistant January to April 2005 Department of Ecology, Evolution, & Behavior, UCLA, CA Dr. Greg Grether ([email protected]) • Assisted with the experimental investigation of sexual selection and food resource abundance in a lab population of guppies. • Duties included high attention to detail while distributing controlled quantities of food to 500 tanks twice a day, checking all tanks for live young, and maintaining high living standards for the fish. Research Assistant June to September 2002 - 2004 Surface Water Resources, Inc. Sacramento, CA Paul Bratovich (916) 563-6560, CEO • Shadowed at an environmental consulting agency interested in water issues in California. • Researched and fact-checked proposals. • Made frequent trips to the CA Fish and Wildlife Department to locate and identify pertinent data for research proposals. • Interpreted permit requirements and composed time-lines for the office. • Researched and presented on EPA requirements for native salmonids to the company. RESEARCH INTERESTS Genetics of disease resistance in natural populations Sexual selection and parasite-mediated natural selection Interaction between animal behavior, life history traits and infectious disease risk Demographic impact on selection dynamics Integration and advancement of women in science DISSERTATION RESEARCH Mechanisms of Selection and MHC Diversity in the Montane Vole and other Wild Mammals July 2007 to October 2012, Odum School of Ecology,UGA, Research advisor: Sonia M. Altizer I investigated how host population dynamics and parasite-mediated selection affect the immunogenic variation in a rodent species that undergoes repeated population cycles. I focused on the Major Histocompatibility Complex, vitally important for immune defense in vertebrates, and renowned for its great genetic diversity, thought to be maintained by coevolution with parasites and possibly mate choice. I predicted that if parasite-mediated selection is stronger than the force of random genetic drift, then signatures of balancing selection would be present at the MHC, using wild montane voles (Microtus montanus) as a relevant system. I tested for evidence of historic and contemporary balancing selection, using a combination of observational field studies and genetic analyses. Using 454 pyrosequencing, I characterized the MHC class II DRB locus for the first time in a North American Arvicolinae, and I found weak evidence of balancing selection and strong evidence of purifying selection. I put these results into context using phylogenetically controlled comparative methods to examine variation at the MHC across five orders of mammals, and to test for the relative forces of parasite-mediated selection and sexual selection in maintaining interspecies variation. I found evidence that both parasite- mediated and sexual selection could be playing a role preserving MHC diversity. This research contributes to advancing knowledge of evolutionary forces that shape host immunogenetic variation, with great relevance to conservation genetics in light of pathogen threats to wildlife populations. PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS: 1. Blumstein, D.T., Cooley, L., Winternitz, J, Daniel, J.C. 2008. Do yellow-bellied marmots respond to predator vocalizations? Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 62(3): 457-468. 2. Blumstein, D.T., Richardson, D.T., Cooley, L., Winternitz, J., Daniel, J.C. 2008. The structure, meaning, and function of yellow-bellied marmot pup screams. Animal Behavior, 76: 1055-1064. 3. Winternitz, J.C., Yabsley, M.J., Altizer, S.M. 2012. Parasite infection and host dynamics in a naturally fluctuating rodent population. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 90:1149-1160. 4. Winternitz, J.C., Wares, J.P. Duplication and population dynamics shape historic patterns of selection and genetic variation at the MHC in rodents. Ecology and Evolution, 3(6):1552-1568. 5. Winternitz, J.C., Minchey, S.G., Garamszegi, L.Z., Huang, S., Stephens, P.R. and Altizer, S. Sexual selection explains more functional variation in mammalian immune genes than parasitism. Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, 280(1769): 20131605. OTHER PUBLICATIONS: 6. Han, B.A., Rushmore, J., Fritzsche, A., Satterfield, D., Winternitz, J. 2012. Preempting Pandemics. Science, 337: 647-648. Book Review. PUBLICATIONS IN REVIEW: 1. Winternitz, J.C.,