Meet Our PhD Students
RGGS Comparative Biology Ph.D. Program students are making important discoveries thanks to new fossil and molecular evidence, cutting edge technologies, and the mentorship of the RGGS faculty. Their analyses have implications for the Tree of Life, biodiversity and conservation, disease prevention and control, and more. They are a remarkably accomplished group, regularly earning prestigious awards, prizes, and grants, and securing notable positions upon graduation. They hail from all across the U.S. and from many other countries. The Program's annual enrollment is generally 18 students, half of whom are women.
Graduate Students
- Alexandra Buczek PhD Student, Richard Gilder Graduate School
- Laís Araujo Coelho Ph.D. Candidate, Richard Gilder Graduate School
- Diana Madeleine Foote PhD Student, Richard Gilder Graduate School
- Nayeli Gutierrez PhD Student, Richard Gilder Graduate School
- Eva Hoffman PhD Student, Richard Gilder Graduate School
- Melissa R. Ingala PhD Student, Richard Gilder Graduate School
- Tobit Liyandja PhD Student, Richard Gilder Graduate School
- James Napoli PhD Student, Richard Gilder Graduate School
- Johannes Neumann PhD Student, Richard Gilder Graduate School
- Leroy Nuñez PhD Student, Richard Gilder Graduate School
- Margaret O'Brien PhD Student, Richard Gilder Graduate School
- Richard Benjamin Sulser PhD Student, Richard Gilder Graduate School
- Ernesto Vargas-Parra PhD Student, Richard Gilder Graduate School
- Alexandra Walling PhD Student, Richard Gilder Graduate School
Richard Gilder Graduate School Collaborative Program PhD Students
AMNH also has a long and distinguished tradition of Collaborative Ph.D. Programs. The Museum's doctoral and postdoctoral training programs date from 1908 and are the oldest and largest of any science museum. Our current graduate training partnerships are with Columbia University, the City University of New York (CUNY), New York University, Cornell University, and Stony Brook University. These partnerships include course cross-enrollment agreements (currently with Columbia and CUNY), and service by AMNH staff as adjunct faculty for teaching, doctoral student advising, and field and laboratory work. Collaborative students enroll and register at the home university, and receive their degrees from that university, but study at the AMNH with AMNH scientists and alongside the RGGS Comparative Biology Ph.D. students. All students in the collaborative programs are members of the Richard Gilder Graduate School community. Collaborative Program PhD students who are Richard Gilder Graduate School Graduate Fellows are indicated with (GF). Click here to learn more about our Graduate Student Fellowship program.
| Jasmine Bayron | CUNY Earth & Environmental Sciences |
| Nicholas Bock | Columbia University Earth & Environmental Sciences |
| Laís Araújo Coelho | Columbia University Ecology, Evolution & Environmental Biology |
| Royce Cumming (GF) | CUNY Ecology and Evolutionary Biology |
| Andrew Emerick | Columbia University Astronomy |
| Marina Gemma (GF) | Columbia Earth & Environmental Sciences |
| Rose Gibson (GF) | Columbia University Astronomy |
| Rachael Joakim (GF) | CUNY Ecology and Evolutionary Biology |
| Arianna Kuhn | CUNY Ecology and Evolutionary Biology |
| Naoko Kurata | CUNY Ecology and Evolutionary Biology |
| Ivan Monagan (GF) | Columbia University Ecology, Evolution & Environmental Biology |
| Lucas Rocha Moreira | Columbia University Ecology, Evolution & Environmental Biology |
| Rosabelle Ong | Columbia University Earth & Environmental Sciences |
| Isaac Overcast | CUNY Ecology and Evolutionary Biology |
| Sarah Pangburn | CUNY Ecology and Evolutionary Biology |
| Julia Tejada (GF) | Columbia University Earth & Environmental Sciences |
| Elkin Tenorio | CUNY Ecology and Evolutionary Biology |
| Congyu Yu (GF) | Columbia University Earth & Environmental Sciences |