Joel Slade, MS, PhD
Principle Investigator
I was born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada. I grew up in a small fishing village where I explored tide pools and watched seabirds. This sparked my interest in the natural world, and since then I have never stopped. My research spans areas of evolutionary biology, from sexual selection to ecological immunology.
Want to join the team?
If you’d like to be an undergraduate member of the research team, please send an email to joelslade [[AT]] csufresno DOT edu — I tend to have space for a handful of honors students, independent study students (BIOL 190), and field assistants.
Prospective Graduate (MS) Students - The Slade Lab is not taking new graduate students until Spring 2025, please see here
Prospective Master of Science (MS) graduate students should email Dr. Joel Slade (joelslade [[AT]] csufresno DOT edu) with a general statement on why they would be interested in working in The Slade Lab. Prospective students should have a strong background in at least one of the following topics: ecology and evolution, ornithology, bioinformatics, and/or molecular biology.
My research program involves a mix of the lab and the field. Students with an affinity for fieldwork and a willingness to learn molecular techniques should reach out. Prospective students should be passionate about learning molecular skills such as DNA extraction, PCR, Gel Electrophoresis, Sanger sequencing, high-throughput sequencing, and analytical skills such as bioinformatics, phylogenetics, and statistics.
Fresno State does NOT offer a Ph.D. program in science
Current Lab Team (Fall 2023)
Graduate (MS) STudents
-Xue Her
-Franke Franke
-Okposio Emmanuel
-Alexandria Singh
-Lindsey Biehler
Undergraduate Students
-Andy Cabrera (RISE Student)
-LeAnne Gip (Honors Student and Independent Study)
-Daniel Santos-Mendoza (Independent Study)
Past MS Biology Students
Esther Fernandez (Fall 2023 Graduate): Variation in Haemosporidian parasites and MHC class I in two subspecies of dark-eyed juncos exhibiting different migratory behavior
Joee Denis (Summer 2021 Graduate): The effect of immune gene diversity and microbiome on fitness correlates in dark-eyed juncos
Past Undergraduate Students
2022-23
-Parmeet Kaur (honors thesis: Heterozygote disadvantage for West Nile virus at MHC class I in American robins)
-Mackenzie Matheny
-Clarence Curtis
-Zachary Padilla
2020-22
-Parmeet Kaur
-Jiselle Cornejo
-Layne Brazier
-Gabriela Santellano
-Ramon Lomeli
-Madelyn Mason
-Cindy Nguyen
2019-20
-Esther Fernandez
-Aisha Lewis
-Raymond Ollivier
-Andrew Pachecho
-Taylor-J Sanchez
-Bailey-J Sanchez
-Gech Suong Ung
-Kathryn Baldozano
-Aneesa Carraway
-Parker Fritsch
-Drew Volpp-Garcia