Assistant Project

Nicole M. Gerlach

Indiana University, Biology Department

**** *. *** ****** ***********, IN 47405

Phone: 812-***-**** E-Mail: ********@*******.***

http://www.indiana.edu/~kettlab/people/nicole/nicole_gerlach.html

Education and Experience

Indiana University, Postdoctoral Research Associate/Lab Manager September 2010-present

In addition to independent research, also responsible for compiling, maintaining, analyzing, and

archiving data from a long-term field study of free-living songbirds; maintaining research permits and

permissions; acting as chemical and radiation safety officer; and training and supervising research

assistants.

Indiana University, Ph.D August 2003-August 2010

Department of Biology. Advisor: Ellen Ketterson. Dissertation: Causes and consequences of extra-pair

mating in the dark-eyed junco: implications for female, male, and offspring fitness, sexual selection,

and the sources of individual variation.

Cornell University, B.A. August 1998-May 2002

Biology: Ecology and Evolutionary Bio. Honors in Biology and Distinction in all Subjects. Major GPA:

4.13

Publications

Gerlach, N.M., McGlothlin, J.W., Parker, P.G., and Ketterson, E.D. 2012 Reinterpreting Bateman

gradients: multiple mating and selection in both sexes of a songbird species. Behavioral Ecology

23(5): 1078-1088. [Highlighted as Editor's Choice]

Gerlach, N.M., McGlothlin, J.W., Parker, P.G., and Ketterson, E.D. 2012. Promiscuous mating

produces offspring with higher lifetime fitness. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 279(1730): 860-

866. [Covered in Nature News & Views and Research Highlights].

Whittaker, D.J., Soini, H.A., Gerlach, N.M., Posto, A.L., Novotny, M.V., and Ketterson, E.D. 2011.

Role of seasonality and testosterone in stimulating changes in a potential chemosignal in a

songbird. Journal of Chemical Ecology 37:1349-1357.

McGlothlin, J.W., Whittaker, D.J., Schrock, S.E., Gerlach, N.M., Jawor, J.M., Snajdr, E.A., and

Ketterson, E.D. 2010. Natural selection on testosterone production in a wild songbird population.

American Naturalist 175(6): 687 701.

Lauay, C., Gerlach, N.M., Adkins-Regan, E., and Devoogd, T.J. 2004. Female zebra finches require

early song exposure to prefer high quality song as adults. Animal Behaviour 68(6): 1249-1255.

Manuscripts Submitted or In Prep

Gerlach, N.M. and Ketterson, E.D. Experimental elevation of testosterone lowers fitness in female

dark-eyed juncos. Submitted to Hormones and Behavior.

Gerlach Curriculum Vitae - Page 2

Whittaker, D.J., Gerlach, N.M., Soini, H.A., Novotny, M.V., and Ketterson, E.D. Bird odor predicts

reproductive success. Submitted to Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Liebgold, E., Gerlach, N.M., and Ketterson, E.D. Similarity in temporal variation in sex-biased

dispersal over short and long distances in the dark-eyed junco, Junco hyemalis, suggests common

eco-evolutionary causes. Submitted to Molecular Ecology.

Gerlach, N.M. and Ketterson E.D. Life histories & hormones: experimental studies & long-term

insights. In: No bird like the snowbird: integrative approaches to understanding evolutionary diversity in the

avian genus Junco (eds. J.W. Atwell and E.D. Ketterson), in preparation.

Whittaker, D.J. and Gerlach, N.M. Mate choice in dark-eyed juncos using visual, acoustic, and

chemical cues. In: No bird like the snowbird: integrative approaches to understanding evolutionary diversity

in the avian genus Junco (eds. J.W. Atwell and E.D. Ketterson), in preparation.

Gerlach, N.M., McGlothlin, J.W., Parker, P.G., and Ketterson, E.D. "Good genes" and long-term

measures of success: does paternity affect first-year fitness in dark-eyed juncos? In preparation for

Animal Behavior.

Liebgold, E., Gerlach, N.M., and Ketterson, E.D. Pre-dispersal density and success of dispersers,

not dispersal distance, drives temporal variation in spatial genetic structure. In preparation for

Molecular Ecology.

Selected Honors and Awards

1998-2002: Cornell Presidential Research Scholar

2002: Genesis Award Best poster paper presented by an undergraduate, Animal Behavior Society

2003-2008: Women in Science Fellowship, Indiana University

2004-2007: National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship

2008-2010: National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant

2010: Outstanding Associate Instructor in Biology Teaching Award

Selected Talks & Posters

Gerlach, N.M. and E.D. Ketterson. Talk: Changing mates does not pay: pair fidelity predicts

success in juncos. Animal Behavior Society International Meeting, June 2012. Albuquerque, NM,

USA

Friedline, S.N., Rosvall, K.A., Gerlach, N.M., Ketterson, E.D. 2012. Poster: The effect of climatic

change on the breeding phenology of the dark-eyed junco, Junco hyemalis. Women in Science

Conference, March 2012. Bloomington, IN.

Gerlach, N.M. and E.D. Ketterson. Talk: Experimental elevation of testosterone lowers female

fitness: evidence for adaptation and constraint. Animal Behavior Society International Meeting,

July 2011. Bloomington, IN, USA.

Gerlach Curriculum Vitae - Page 3

Gerlach, N.M. Talk: Til death do us part? Mating behavior in monogamous songbirds. Global

Science Online Seminar Series, April 2011. The Field Museum of Natural History / Illinois Math &

Science Academy.

Gerlach, N.M., P.G. Parker, and E.D. Ketterson. Talk: Extra-pair behavior, multiple mating, and

lifetime reproductive success in a female songbird. International Society for Behavioral Ecology

International Meeting, September 2010. Perth, WA, Australia.

Gerlach, N.M., P.G. Parker, and E.D. Ketterson. Talk: Individual traits and pair identity influence

extra-pair paternity in the dark-eyed junco. Animal Behavior Society International Meeting, July

2010. Williamsburg, VA, USA.

Gerlach, N.M., Parker, P.G., and Ketterson, E.D. Talk: Which dad is best? Fitness consequences of

extra-pair paternity in offspring of the dark-eyed junco, Junco hyemalis. American Ornithologist s

Union National Meeting, August 2009. Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Gerlach, N.M. and E.D. Ketterson. Poster: Sex ratio and survival in nestlings and adults of a

songbird, the dark-eyed junco. The International Society for Behavioral Ecology Biannual Meeting,

July 2008. Ithaca, NY, USA

Gerlach, N.M. Talk: Sex and consequences: extra-pair behavior and female fitness in the dark-eyed

junco. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology s 9th Annual Student & Post-Doc Symposium, January

2008. North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.

Gerlach, N.M., P.G. Parker, and E.D. Ketterson. Talk: EPFs enhance female reproductive success

and may enhance offspring fitness in dark-eyed juncos. Animal Behavior Society International

Meeting, July 2007. Burlington, VT, USA.

Gerlach, N.M. Talk: Extra-pair behavior in dark-eyed junco females: causes, correlations, and

consequences. Mountain Lake Biological Station seminar series, July 2006. Pembroke, VA, USA.

Gerlach, N.M. and E.D. Ketterson. Poster: Behavioral responses to a GnRH challenge in captive

male dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis). The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology

Annual Meeting, January 2006. Orlando, FL, USA.

Gerlach, N. M., J.M. Earnhardt, and S.D. Thompson. Poster: Lineage loss, genetic diversity, and

effective population size in the North American captive cheetah population. Society for

Conservation Biology International Meeting, June/July 2003. Duluth, MN, USA.

Gerlach, N.M., C. Lauay, and T. Devoogd. Poster: Early auditory experience shapes adult song

preferences in female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata castanotis). Animal Behavior Society

International Meeting, July 2002. Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.

Teaching Experience

Evolution Fall 2007 & 2009

Instructor for BIO-S318: Honors Evolution, Indiana University. Instructor: Farrah Bashey-Visser.

Selected as Indiana University Biology s Outstanding Associate Instructor for 2009-2010 for this

course.

Gerlach Curriculum Vitae - Page 4

Vertebrate Zoology Spring 2001 & 2009

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for BioEE 274: Vertebrates: Structure, Function, and Evolution,

taught by Dr. Kelly Zamudio at Cornell University.

Associate Instructor for BIO-Z406: Vertebrate Zoology, Indiana University. Instructor: Clara Cotton

Introductory Biology Lab Fall 2003 & Spring 2004

Associate Instructor for BIO-L113: Introductory Biology Lab, Indiana University. Instructor: Jim

Hengeveld

Sensory Biology Fall 2008

Associate Instructor for BIO-L104: Biology of the Senses, Indiana University. Instructor: Laura

Mojonnier/Angie Shelton

Tropical Biology January 2003 & 2005

Co-instructor for Tropical Forests of Costa Rica, an Intersession field course offered through the

Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy and the Organization for Tropical Studies.

Techniques in Reproductive Diversity September 2011

Co-instructor for portion of BIO A501: Techniques in Reproductive Diversity. Primary instructor:

Ellen Ketterson

Mentoring Experience

Summer 2006: Krystle Ainsworth, REU program through Mountain Lake Biological Station

Summer 2007: Erin Spevak, REU program through Mountain Lake Biological Station

Fall 2010 Spring 2011: Libby Swanger, Research Assistant

Summer 2011 & 2012: Kaitlin Richmond, Research Assistant

Fall 2011 Spring 2012: Rachel Umphries, Research Assistant

Service

Indiana Preparing Future Faculty Conference Planning Committee, 2006-2008

Faculty of 1000, associate reviewer, 2009-present.

Mist-Netting Demonstration, McCormick s Creek State Park Welcome Back Weekend, 02 May 2009

and 02 May 2010.

Animal Behavior Outreach Fair, Wonderlab Children s Museum, 30 July 2011.

Gerlach Curriculum Vitae - Page 5

Previous Research

Indiana University 2003-2004

Rotation project with Dr. Emilia Martins: Changes in male-male interactions and headbob displays

in response to sub- and super-normal robot stimulus in sagebrush lizards (Scleroporus graciosus).

Ketterson Lab pre-dissertation research: GnRH and ACTH: effects on behavior, impact of

relatedness, and changes in testosterone in captive dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis).

Dr. Scholls Science Fellow/Chicago Community Trust Intern, Lincoln Park Zoo June 2002-May 2003

Intern project: Lineage loss, genetic diversity, heritability of fitness, and effective population size

in a captive population of cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus).

Cornell University 1999-2002

Undergraduate Honors Thesis with Dr. Tim Devoogd: Early auditory experience shapes adult

song preferences in female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata castanotis).

OTS Undergraduate Semester Abroad Program, Costa Rica. Fall 2001

Independent research project: Nearest-neighbor distance and call rates in a neotropical treefrog,

Hyla microcephala.

Illinois Math and Science Academy 1997-1998

High school independent research project in collaboration with Northern Illinois University:

Microscopic underhair structure of Castor canadensis and its historical and economic implications.

Professional Societies and Affiliations

International Society for Behavioral Ecology

Animal Behavior Society

American Ornithologist s Union

Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology

Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior at Indiana University

Skills

Highly skilled with a number of computer applications, including database management programs

such as Filemaker Pro and Microsoft Office. I am also skilled at organizing, maintaining, mining, and

analyzing large and complex data sets. Comfortable working independently and as a member of a

team, and experienced at communicating scientific results to professional and public audiences in both

written and oral formats. Experience with website design (HTML and CSS) and maintenance, and

acquiring and maintaining permits and permissions for vertebrate research.

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