Faces of AOS: Elizabeth Derryberry Bio

• Email:
ederrybe@tulane.edu

• Twitter Handle:
@DerryberryLab

• Website/Blog/Etc:
http://elizabethderryberry.tulane.edu
/derryberrylab/Home.html

• My position with AOS:
Council Member

• My current full-time title and institution:
Assistant Professor, Tulane University

• My current career stage:
Mid-Career Professional

• My lineage of mentors/labs:
Undergrad at Princeton University with Dr. Tom Hahn (now at UC Davis)
PhD at Duke University with Dr. Steve Nowicki @SteveNowickiDU
Postdoctoral Fellowship with Dr. Robb Brumfield at Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science @RTBrumfield @LSU_MNS

• #badlyexplainyourjob:
I ask birds if they want to mate with each other. They say yes, sometimes no. Then I see if that explains speciation.

• My favorite bird and why:
White-crowned sparrows because they are handsome without being flashy.

• I am involved with AOS because:
They take mentorship of young professionals seriously. Plus, I love birds!

• The best part about being a member of AOS is:
The colleagues. And where else can you put gratuitous bird images in your research talks!

• Birds are important to me because:
Birds are interactive, engaging and make the best sounds!

• Advice I have to offer a student (master’s level or younger) in ornithology:
Your research will always stay fresh if you keep observing the birds you work with.

• One ornithology question or problem I would like to solve or see solved:
A robust species level phylogeny of all birds.