Current students
Aurora Schermbeck is a current master's student at WSU. Her thesis will investigate habitat use, nest survival, fledgling habitat use, and song features of black-capped vireos at Government Canyon State Natural Area.
Mila Singson is a freshman at WSU and an IGNITE undergraduate researcher working on a project investigating whether distance from noise and light sources affect site selection and breeding outcomes in our New Mexico system. She is interested in wildlife conservation and animal behavior.
Cayden Steele is a senior at WSU working on his Honor's Thesis in the Phillips lab. He has always been interested in wildlife and drawing and loves to portray animals in art. Recently he have taken a couple trips abroad to study and observe a few species in their natural habitat. These experiences have fueled his love for the natural world and inspired him to become a field researcher. He hopes to someday get PhD in animal behavior and help contribute to conservation efforts of endangered species through science and art.
Liz Heilman is an undergraduate junior at WSU majoring in Wildlife Ecology, and is working in the lab to understand what habitats support painted bunting populations in San Antonio.
Fledglings
Sierra Rodriguez (M.S.) investigated how sensory pollution affects pollination ecology for her master's thesis. She is currently is putting her cell biology skills to work in an immunogenetics lab.
Alfredo Paul Llamas (M.S.) studied the urban ecology and management of birds populations and diversity in San Antonio, Texas. He now teaches environmental biology and is active in conservation efforts in San Antonio.
Undergraduate students 2021-2023
Thomas Connor was a TAMUSA undergraduate researcher funded through the Seeligson Conservation Grant to collect data on Painted Bunting nesting habitats and post-fledging survival.
Postdoctoral fellows
Todd Jones is an ornithologist who joined the Phillips Lab as a postdoc in 2021-2022. He is interested in fledgling behavior and whether responses to artificial light at night are plastic or evolved.