Alexis Hilario-Perez, PhD Student

I came from the Dominican Republic where I graduated from Biology as a major. My interest for entomology and systematics brought me to the University of Arkansas. Looking for new opportunities of increasing my knowledge, I came across with the fascinating miniature but monumental world of mites, which now has opened me more opportunities and new perspectives of research that I can carry on in the future when I get back to my country.

Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D., after completing my M.S. in the Dowling Lab working with parasitic Nasal Mites (Acari: Mesostigmata, Astigmata and Prostigmata) in birds. My M.S. was more of a survey of nasal mites, whereas my Ph.D. is focused on the ecology, population genetics, and host-parasite coevolution of nasal mites of the brood parasite brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) from across the US.