Philip Lavretsky, a third year ES Ph.D. student advised by Dr. Jeff Peters in the Department of Biological Sciences, has been selected as the graduate excellence award winner for the ES PhD program for 2012. Phil is studying the evolutionary genetics of Mallard-type ducks. He has vigorously sought and has received funding for his dissertation from Ducks Unlimited Canada, the Ohio Waterfowl Association, and the American Museum of Natural History (totaling $12,500). Phil has ambitiously collected more than 2000 DNA sequences for his research. He established collaboration with Audrey McGowin (Chemistry) and is the lead author on a resulting paper in Conservation Genetics Resources. He is also the lead on a paper submitted to the Journal of Wildlife Management from his own research, and has participated in other collaborative projects in the department.
