PhD Candidate, University Program in Genetics and Genomics | Biology
I am a second-year Ph.D. candidate exploring the genomics and epigenomics of hybridization and speciation in the brightly-colored Heliconius butterflies.
My projects include:
- Constructing long-read population-level pangenomes of hybridizing populations of Heliconius
- Adaptation of Hi-C and ATAC-seq joint assays to butterfly tissue
- Characterizing and comparing variation in epigenomic states among closely related butterfly species
Prior to Duke, I completed my undergraduate degree at Wellesley College in Biological Sciences and Environmental Studies in 2020. I completed an honors thesis with Andrea Sequeira on the transcriptomic responses of polyphagous, parthenogenetic Naupactus weevils to novel host plants. After Wellesley, I was a Research Associate in the Sabeti Lab of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, as well as a Lab Manager in the Reilly lab at Yale Medical School.
At Duke, I’m involved in science communication and outreach programs such as the Science Research and Education Network (SciREN) and Project SHORT. I am also a member of the Society of Duke Fellows. Outside of the lab, I enjoy horticulture, making coffee, watching standup comedy, learning to rollerblade, and hiking or backpacking.
- Email: apm58 at duke.edu
- Twitter: @a_mack_s
- Website: a-mackaysmith.com
