Hjelmen Lab @ UVU

I grew up in small-town South Dakota with a passion for learning. I attended a small liberal arts college, Augustana College (now Augustana University) where I received a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Biology. Here, I also was able to pursue other interests, such as playing the upright bass in symphony orchestras. Partway through my undergraduate program, I discovered research. I started working as an undergraduate researcher after my second year. The next year, I pursued NSF REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates). I was lucky enough to get one of these REU positions in the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University. It was here that I met my PhD Advisor, Dr. J. Spencer Johnston, and really began to understand what could be accomplished with basic scientific research investigating broad evolutionary questions.

During my PhD, I focused on genome size evolution in Drosophila species. By using Drosophila species as a model, I was able to utilize the long history of research, broad knowledge of this group, and the ease of attaining species from the species stock center to cheaply and quickly investigate genome size with comparative phylogenetic methods. One of the most rewarding aspects of this research has been the ability to include undergraduate research students in the data collection, analysis, and manuscript preparation stages. I know these experiences greatly benefited me as an undergraduate researcher, and I am proud to be able to provide these opportunities for others.

After my PhD, I had two differnet postdoctoral research positions, which allowed me to greatly increase my skills in bioinformatic analyses. In my first postdoctoral position with Dr. Aaron Tarone, I investigated miRNA and protein makers of immature development in forensically relevant flies. In my second postdoctoral position with Dr. Heath Blackmon, I continued to investigate genome size evolution in insects, as well as whole genome sequencing of a variety of insect species. I am happy to still be working with my PhD advisor and both of my postdoctoral advisors on projects which include undergraduate researchers.