Alex Shephard

I am currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at The Ohio State University. 

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A unifying question in biology is to understand why organisms vary in their abilities to endure adverse conditions, ranging from environmental stress to the functional decline that comes with aging. Organisms are not passive recipients of adversity; often, they actively adjust their phenotypes in ways that enable them to better cope with challenges - a process known as phenotypic plasticity. 

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My research integrates ecological and evolutionary perspectives with studies of underlying genetic and physiological mechanisms to investigate the causes and consequences of plasticity in organismal resilience to various forms of adversity. Through this lens, I work primarily on three interconnected topics:

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1) How stressors experienced early in life or by parents shape phenotypic development within and across generations

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2) How organisms respond to novel challenges, such as dietary shifts and anthropogenic pollutants

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3) How the environment influences variation in organismal resistance to age-related decline

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To learn more about these topics, check out my Research page.
See my Research Blog for fun project updates, media, and more. 

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