News

Recent news, research updates, and highlights from the Cresko Laboratory.

LyAndra Lujan defends her dissertation!

Congratulations to honorary graduate student member of the Cresko LyAndra Lujan for successfully defending her PhD!
November 20, 2025

Ethan Contreras Presents at SACNAS

Congratulations to undergraduate researcher Ethan Contreras and his mentor Shannon Snyder for his presentation at the annual conference for the Society for Advancement of…
November 6, 2025

Micah Woods Published in Ms. Magazine

Congratulations to post-baccalaureate scholar Micah Woods for their work being published in Ms. Magazine!
November 15, 2024

Bill Cresko Awarded Lorry Lokey Endowed Chair

Recognition for outstanding contributions to science and the university

October 1, 2024

Micah Woods Published in Ms. Magazine

Congratulations to post-baccalaureate scholar Micah Woods for their article published in Ms. Magazine!
September 20, 2023

Host Genetics Shapes Gut Microbiome Diversity

New study reveals how genetic variation influences microbial communities in stickleback fish

September 15, 2023

Vithika Goyal Awarded Hui Fellowship

Congratulations to undergraduate researcher Vithika Goyal for being awarded a Hui Fellowship!
June 1, 2023

Walker Meyer Named Knight Campus Undergraduate Scholar

Congratulations to undergraduate researcher Walker Meyer for being selected as a Knight Campus Undergraduate Scholar!
May 15, 2023

New Publication: Culturally Tailored COVID-19 Intervention for Oregon’s Latinx Communities

Important publication in Frontiers in Public Health describes development of culturally tailored interventions to address COVID-19 disparities!
September 23, 2022

Bill Cresko Awarded Lorry Lokey Endowed Chair

We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Bill Cresko has been awarded the prestigious Lorry Lokey Endowed Chair at the University of Oregon!
September 16, 2022

Seadragon Genome Research Featured in New York Times

Our groundbreaking research on seadragon genomes has been featured in the New York Times!
July 7, 2022

Seadragon Genomes Reveal Secrets of Syngnathid Evolution

Major publication uncovers genomic basis of unique traits in seahorses and relatives

June 28, 2022

Hope Healey Awarded Prestigious NIH F31 Fellowship

Outstanding achievement! Graduate student Hope Healey has been awarded a prestigious NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein F31 Fellowship!
June 1, 2022

New Publication: Single-cell Iso-Seq Revolutionizes Genome Annotation

Groundbreaking publication in Genetics introduces single-cell Iso-Sequencing for rapid genome annotation!
April 1, 2022

New Publication: Stickleback as Model for Mito-Nuclear Interactions

Important publication in Frontiers in Genetics establishes threespine stickleback as an emerging evolutionary model for studying mito-nuclear interactions!
April 1, 2022

Hope Healey Publishes First-Author Paper in Genetics

Congratulations to graduate student Hope Healey on her first first-author publication in the prestigious journal Genetics!
April 1, 2022

New Method for Genome Annotation Using Single-Cell Sequencing

Lab develops novel approach combining single-cell Iso-Sequencing with scRNA-seq for improved genome annotation

February 15, 2022

Emily Niebergall Awarded Prestigious Goldwater Fellowship

Clark Honors College undergraduate recognized for excellence in research

March 30, 2021

Congratulations to Our New Ph.D. Graduates!

Three lab members successfully defend their dissertations

June 15, 2020

Martin Stervander Awarded Prestigious Marie Curie Fellowship

Exceptional news! Dr. Martin Stervander has been awarded a highly prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Individual Fellowship by the European Union!
February 20, 2020

New Publication: Chromonomer Tool for Genome Assembly Enhancement

Exciting preprint on bioRxiv introduces Chromonomer, a powerful tool set for repairing and enhancing genome assemblies!
February 5, 2020

New Publication: Few Stickleback Suffice for Allele Transport to New Lakes

Fascinating publication in G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics reveals that just a few stickleback can transport adaptive alleles to new lakes!
February 1, 2020

Happy New Year 2020 from the Cresko Lab!

Happy 2020 everyone! The Cresko Lab is looking forward to another exciting year of research and discovery!
December 30, 2019

New Publication: Genetic Mapping of Neutrophil Variation in Stickleback

Exciting publication in G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics reveals the genetic architecture of neutrophil variation between oceanic and freshwater stickleback!
December 17, 2019

New Publication: Reproducible Microbiome Methods for Host Genetics Studies

Important methodological publication in mSystems establishes highly reproducible 16S sequencing protocols for measuring host genetic influences on microbiomes!
November 5, 2019

SCORE Students Bring Excellence to the Lab

We’re proud to host Jade and Nia as part of this year’s outstanding cohort of SCORE students!
November 1, 2019

New Publication: Genetic Divergence Outpaces Phenotypic Evolution

Fascinating publication in Biological Journal of the Linnean Society reveals that genetic divergence outpaces phenotypic evolution in old freshwater stickleback habitats!
October 1, 2019

New Publication: Selection, Linkage, and Population Structure Shape Genomic Variation

Major publication in Genetics reveals how selection, linkage, and population structure interact to shape genetic variation across stickleback genomes!
August 1, 2019

New Publication: Population Genetics and Environment Shape Gut Microbiomes

Important publication in Genes reveals how both host genetics and environment influence gut microbiome composition in Oregon threespine stickleback!
June 26, 2019

Emily Niebergall Awarded Prestigious Goldwater Fellowship

Outstanding achievement! Clark Honors College undergraduate Emily Niebergall has been awarded a prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarship!
May 28, 2019

Elk Horn Brewery Names Beer After Cresko Lab: Threespine IPA

Cheers to science! The Elk Horn Brewery has honored the Cresko Lab by naming their newest creation “Threespine IPA”!
May 1, 2019

Developing the Gnotobiotic Stickleback Model

New system enables controlled studies of host-microbiome interactions

April 12, 2019

New Publication: Modular Gene Networks Drive Stress Resistance Evolution

Important publication in G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics reveals how environmental and evolutionary drivers shape modular gene regulatory networks!
March 1, 2019

Stacks 2.0 Released: Major Update to Population Genomics Software

New version brings improved algorithms and expanded capabilities

January 15, 2019

Major Publication: Sweeping Genomic Remodeling Through Alternative Haplotypes

Major publication in Genetics reveals how repeated selection of alternatively adapted haplotypes creates sweeping genomic remodeling in stickleback!
July 1, 2018

Major Publication on Parallel Evolution in Stickleback

Congratulations to Dr. Susan Bassham and the team for their groundbreaking publication in Genetics!
July 1, 2018

Martin Stervander Awarded Marie Curie Fellowship

Postdoc receives prestigious European Union fellowship for syngnathid genomics research

May 15, 2018

New Publication: Ancient Genomic Variation Drives Repeated Adaptation

Groundbreaking publication in Evolution Letters reveals that ancient genomic variation underlies repeated ecological adaptation in young stickleback populations!
January 26, 2018

New Publication: Naturalistic Designs for Understanding Gene-Environment Interactions

Important interdisciplinary publication in Prevention Science explores naturalistic experimental designs for understanding gene-environment interactions!
January 16, 2018

New Publication: Developmental Timing Drives Armor Loss in Stickleback

Important publication in Evolution & Development reveals how developmental timing differences underlie armor loss across stickleback populations!
November 8, 2017

New Publication: Ancient mtDNA Lineages Show No Link to Phenotypes

Surprising publication in Biological Journal of the Linnean Society reveals that ancient mitochondrial lineages have no association with phenotypic or nuclear genetic…
November 1, 2017

Artist Ray Troll Visits the Cresko Lab

Renowned fish artist explores stickleback evolution and scientific illustration

October 20, 2017

Martin Stervander Joins the Cresko Lab

We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Martin Stervander to the Cresko Lab as our newest postdoctoral researcher!
September 1, 2017

Martin Stervander Joins the Cresko Lab as Postdoctoral Fellow

We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Martin Stervander to the Cresko Lab!
September 1, 2017

New Publication: Iodide Supplementation Ameliorates Perchlorate Thyroid Damage

Important publication in General and Comparative Endocrinology reveals that exogenous iodide can protect against perchlorate-induced thyroid damage!
March 1, 2017

New Publication: Host-Microbe Interactions Shape Gene Expression in Stickleback

Groundbreaking publication in Genome Biology and Evolution reveals asymmetric contributions of host genetics and microbiota to gene expression!
March 1, 2017

Kristin Alligood Successfully Defends PhD Dissertation

Congratulations to Dr. Kristin Alligood on successfully defending her PhD dissertation!
January 20, 2017

Allison Fuiten Awarded NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant

Congratulations to Allison Fuiten on receiving a prestigious NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant (DDIG)!
January 15, 2017

Emily Beck Attends Prestigious Evomics Workshop in Czech Republic

Emily Beck represented the Cresko Lab at the prestigious Workshop on Genomics in Český Krumlov, Czech Republic!
January 10, 2017

Emily Beck Attends Prestigious Evomics Workshop in Czech Republic

Dr. Emily Beck is attending the renowned Evomics Workshop on Genomics in Český Krumlov, Czech Republic!
January 3, 2017

Allison Fuiten Awarded Prestigious NSF DDIG

Outstanding news! Allison Fuiten has been awarded a Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant (DDIG) from the National Science Foundation!
January 2, 2017

Kristin Alligood Successfully Defends Ph.D. Dissertation

Congratulations to Dr. Kristin Alligood on successfully defending her Ph.D. dissertation!
January 1, 2017

Gulf Pipefish Genome Published in Genome Biology

Our landmark paper on the Gulf pipefish genome has been published in Genome Biology!
December 22, 2016

Major Publication: Gulf Pipefish Genome Reveals Evolutionary Innovations

We’re thrilled to announce the publication of the Gulf pipefish genome in Genome Biology!
December 20, 2016

Bill Cresko Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

We are thrilled to announce that Dr. William Cresko has been elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)!
November 21, 2016

Dr. Bill Cresko Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Bill Cresko has been elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)!
November 1, 2016

Lab Members Win Six Conference Awards

Outstanding showing at Evolution and SMBE conferences

July 15, 2016

Thom Nelson Wins Poster Award at Allied Genetics Conference

Congratulations to Thom Nelson for winning a poster award at the prestigious Allied Genetics Conference in Orlando!
July 15, 2016

New Publication: Perchlorate Reduces Primordial Germ Cells in Stickleback

Important publication in PLOS ONE reveals first evidence linking endocrine disruption to primordial germ cell reduction!
July 6, 2016

Cresko Lab Sweeps Awards at EVO-WIBO 2016 Conference

Outstanding success for Cresko Lab members at the 2016 EVO-WIBO conference, with our team winning awards across all presentation categories!
April 25, 2016

John Crandall Wins Best Undergraduate Poster at EVO-WIBO

Fantastic news! John Crandall has won the Best Undergraduate Student Poster Award at the EVO-WIBO Conference!
April 6, 2016

Mark Currey Wins Best Research Assistant Poster at EVO-WIBO

Congratulations to Mark Currey for winning the Best Research Assistant/Technician Poster Award at the EVO-WIBO Conference!
April 5, 2016

Bill Cresko Serves as Thesis Opponent in Sweden

Dr. Bill Cresko recently served as the faculty opponent for Lina Nikoleris’s doctoral thesis defense in the Department of Biology at Lund University, Sweden.
April 4, 2016

Thom Nelson Wins Best Graduate Student Talk at EVO-WIBO

Outstanding achievement! Thom Nelson has won the Best Graduate Student Talk Award at the EVO-WIBO Conference!
April 4, 2016

Kristin Alligood Wins Best Graduate Student Poster at EVO-WIBO

Congratulations to graduate student Kristin Alligood for winning the Best Graduate Student Poster Award at the EVO-WIBO Conference!
April 3, 2016

Allison Fuiten Wins Best Graduate Student Talk at EVO-WIBO

Excellent news! Allison Fuiten has won the Best Graduate Student Talk Award at the EVO-WIBO Conference!
April 2, 2016

Thom Nelson Wins Poster Award at Allied Genetics Conference

Congratulations to graduate student Thom Nelson for winning a poster award at the prestigious Allied Genetics Conference!
April 1, 2016

Susan Bassham Featured in Scientific American Video on Rapid Evolution

Dr. Susan Bassham’s research on rapid evolution in threespine stickleback has been featured in Scientific American’s Sustainability 60-Second Science Video series!
February 15, 2016

Susan Bassham Featured in Scientific American’s 60-Second Science

Dr. Susan Bassham has been featured in Scientific American’s popular “60-Second Science” podcast series with a segment titled “Fish on Evolution’s Fast Track”!
February 1, 2016

Susan Bassham Featured in Scientific American

Lab’s rapid evolution research highlighted in 60-Second Science video

February 1, 2016

Susan Bassham Discusses Rapid Evolution on Jefferson Public Radio

Dr. Susan Bassham was featured on Jefferson Public Radio discussing our groundbreaking research on rapid evolution in threespine stickleback!
January 20, 2016

New Publication: Gnotobiotic Stickleback Model Reveals Population Differences in Immunity

Groundbreaking publication in Disease Models & Mechanisms establishes the gnotobiotic stickleback model system!
January 1, 2016

Susan Bassham Featured on Jefferson Public Radio

Dr. Susan Bassham was recently interviewed by Jefferson Public Radio for a fascinating segment titled “When Evolution Speeds Up”!
January 1, 2016

New Publication: Rapid Evolution in 50 Years on Earthquake-Uplifted Islands

Remarkable publication in PNAS demonstrates evolution occurring in just 50 years following the Great Alaska Earthquake!
December 29, 2015

Landmark Paper on 50 Years of Rapid Evolution Published in PNAS

Our groundbreaking study documenting evolution of stickleback over just 50 years on earthquake-uplifted islands has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy…
December 22, 2015

Fish Evolved Rapidly After 1964 Alaska Earthquake

Stickleback populations show evolutionary changes in less than 50 years following geological uplift

December 14, 2015

Publication Response: We Never Said Wright Was Wrong

Important scientific discourse in Journal of Heredity as we respond to commentary on our polyploid genomics research!
December 1, 2015

Response Published: We Never Said Wright was Wrong

We have published a response to recent commentary on our polyploid genetics research in salmonid fishes.
November 1, 2015

Renowned Artist Ray Troll Visits the Cresko Lab

We were thrilled to host renowned fish artist Ray Troll for a special visit to the Cresko Lab!
October 20, 2015

Cresko Lab Paper Among Top 10 Most Cited in PLOS Genetics First Decade

Our 2010 PLOS Genetics paper on RAD-seq has been recognized as one of the 10 most cited papers in the journal’s first decade!
October 15, 2015

Emily A. Beck Joins the Cresko Lab

We’re excited to welcome Dr. Emily A. Beck to the Cresko Lab as a new postdoctoral researcher!
October 1, 2015

Renowned Fish Artist Ray Troll Visits the Cresko Lab

We were thrilled to welcome renowned fish artist Ray Troll to the Cresko Lab!
October 1, 2015

New Publication: Polyploid Genomics in Salmonid Fishes

Important publication in Journal of Heredity reveals how crossovers between homeologs affect inheritance and population genomics in salmonid fishes!
May 1, 2015

New Publication: Environmental Effects on Complex Genetic Networks

Groundbreaking publication in Evolution reveals how environmental changes affect correlated responses to selection across complex genetic networks!
May 1, 2015

New Publication on Polyploid Genetics in Salmonid Fishes

We’re excited to announce a new publication from our collaborative research on polyploid genomics in salmonid fishes!
May 1, 2015

New Publication: Perchlorate Alters Angiogenesis and Sexual Maturation in Stickleback

Major publication in General and Comparative Endocrinology reveals profound effects of perchlorate on reproductive and thyroid tissues!
April 2, 2015

New Publication: Developmental Timing of Perchlorate Exposure Affects Skeletal Development

Important publication in General and Comparative Endocrinology reveals critical windows for perchlorate effects on stickleback skeletal development!
February 16, 2015

New Publication: Temporal Variation of Hormones Under Perchlorate Exposure

New research in General and Comparative Endocrinology examines how perchlorate exposure affects daily and seasonal hormone patterns in stickleback!
February 14, 2015

Thom Nelson Awarded NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant

Congratulations to Thom Nelson on receiving a prestigious NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant!
January 20, 2015

New Publication: Ancient Mitochondrial Lineages in North Pacific Stickleback

New publication in Journal of Biogeography reveals complex patterns of ancient mitochondrial lineage admixture in North Pacific stickleback populations!
January 1, 2015

New Publication: Perchlorate Disrupts Embryonic Hormones in Stickleback

Important new publication in General and Comparative Endocrinology reveals how perchlorate exposure disrupts reproductive development without changing thyroid hormone levels!
January 1, 2015

Bill Cresko Returns to Lund as Thesis Opponent

Dr. Bill Cresko served as the faculty opponent for Max Lundberg’s doctoral thesis defense in the Department of Biology at Lund University, Sweden.
September 30, 2014

New Publication: Transgenerational Effects of Heat Stress in C. remanei

Important new publication in G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics reveals how transgenerational effects evolve under selection!
September 14, 2014

New Publication: Rapid Evolution of Phenotypic Plasticity in C. remanei

Exciting new publication in G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics reveals rapid evolution of phenotypic plasticity in nematodes!
May 1, 2014

Kristin Alligood Receives NSF DDIG for Craniofacial Evolution Research

Kristin Alligood has been awarded an NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant to investigate the genetic basis of craniofacial evolution in threespine stickleback!
March 15, 2014

New Publication: Computational Approaches for Mining Genomic Databases

We’re pleased to announce a new book chapter on computational approaches for mining publicly available genomic databases!
January 27, 2014

New Publication: Evolution of Jaw Mechanics in Stickleback

We’re excited to announce a new publication in Biological Journal of the Linnean Society on the evolution of jaw mechanics in threespine stickleback!
January 16, 2014

New Publication Maps Oregon Stickleback Population Structure

We’re pleased to announce a new publication describing the phylogeographic history of Oregon’s threespine stickleback populations!
June 1, 2013

New Publication: Oregon Stickleback Population Structure Revealed by RAD-seq

We’re pleased to announce a major publication in Molecular Ecology revealing the population structure and colonization history of Oregon threespine stickleback!
May 30, 2013

New Publication: Stacks Software for Population Genomics in Molecular Ecology

We’re excited to announce a new publication in Molecular Ecology describing major advances in the Stacks software package for population genomics!
May 24, 2013

Clay Small Joins Lab as Postdoctoral Researcher

We’re pleased to welcome Dr. Clay Small to the Cresko Lab as our new postdoctoral researcher!
November 1, 2012

Major NIH Center of Excellence Grant Awarded for Host-Microbe Systems Biology

The University of Oregon has been awarded a prestigious NIH Center of Excellence in Systems Biology grant to study host-microbe interactions in zebrafish and stickleback!
September 1, 2012

Cresko Lab Dominates Awards at International Stickleback Conference 2012

Outstanding success for the Cresko Lab at Stickleback 2012, with multiple members winning presentation awards and delivering talks at this premier international meeting!
August 10, 2012

Taylor Wilson Graduates with Highest Honors

Congratulations to Taylor Wilson on graduating with highest honors from the Clark Honors College at the University of Oregon!
June 15, 2012

Kate Ituarte Graduates with Highest Honors

Congratulations to Kate Ituarte on graduating with highest honors from the Clark Honors College at the University of Oregon!
June 1, 2012

Kristin Sikkink Awarded Prestigious NSF DDIG

Outstanding news! Graduate student Kristin Sikkink has been awarded a highly prestigious Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant (DDIG) from the National Science Foundation!
March 1, 2012

Kristin Sikkink Awarded NSF DDIG for Cryptic Genetic Variation Research

Congratulations to Kristin Sikkink on receiving an NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant to study cryptic genetic variation using RNA-seq!
February 20, 2012

Publication Reveals Extensive Linkage Disequilibrium in Stickleback

We’re excited to share a new publication revealing unexpected patterns of genome-wide linkage in threespine stickleback!
February 1, 2012

Kristin Sikkink Wins Best Poster Award at IGERT Conference

Congratulations to graduate student Kristin Sikkink for winning the Best Student Poster Award at the UO/IU IGERT Conference!
February 1, 2012

Bill Cresko Serves as Thesis Opponent in Portugal

Dr. Bill Cresko served as the faculty opponent for Martina Bradic’s doctoral thesis defense at the prestigious Gulbenkian Institute in Portugal.
August 1, 2011

Science Magazine Highlights Cresko Lab in Human Genome 10th Anniversary Coverage

Science magazine has featured the collaborative work of the Cresko, Johnson, and Holzapfel/Bradshaw labs in its special Human Genome 10th Anniversary coverage!
February 25, 2011

RAD-seq for Genome Scans Highlighted in Science

The use of RAD sequencing for population genomic scans has been highlighted in Science!
February 1, 2011

RAD Sequencing Named ‘Area to Watch’ in Science’s Breakthrough of the Year

Genome scans and RAD sequencing have been named an “Area to Watch” in Science magazine’s prestigious Breakthrough of the Year issue!
December 17, 2010

RAD-seq Used to Infer Phylogenetic History in Mosquitos

Exciting news! RAD sequencing is being used to infer phylogenetic relationships in mosquito species, as featured in Science.
December 1, 2010

Julian Catchen Awarded Prestigious NIH Ruth Kirschstein Postdoctoral Fellowship

Congratulations to Dr. Julian Catchen on receiving the highly competitive NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award postdoctoral fellowship!
July 1, 2010

NSF Funds Genomic Resource Development for Pipefish Research

The National Science Foundation has awarded funding to create comprehensive genomic resources for pipefish using next-generation sequencing!
May 1, 2010

Genome Scan Publication Illuminates Patterns of Selection in Stickleback

Our comprehensive genome scan of stickleback populations has been published, revealing patterns of natural selection and generating significant media attention!
March 15, 2010

Landmark RAD-seq Paper Published in PLoS Genetics

We’re thrilled to announce a groundbreaking publication that revolutionizes population genomics in non-model organisms!
February 1, 2010

NSF Funds Genomic Research on 50-Year-Old Stickleback Populations

The National Science Foundation has awarded the Cresko Lab a major grant to study genomic evolution in unique 50-year-old threespine stickleback populations!
October 1, 2009

Kristin Sikkink Awarded Prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

Congratulations to Kristin Sikkink on receiving the highly competitive NSF Graduate Research Fellowship!
May 1, 2009
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