Yuki Haba
The Evolution and Genomics of Behavior
PC: Sameer A. Khan
Yuki Haba | 羽場 優紀
I am a PhD candidate at Princeton University, interested in
the genomics and neurobiology of behavioral evolution. I am currently working with Dr. Lindy McBride on the behavioral evolution of Culex mosquitoes.
I am from Tokyo, Japan. When not at work, I am probably playing soccer, listening to jazz, or eating ramen.
Note - I am no longer updating this webpage. For the latest updates, please visit yukihaba.github.io.
Latest News
Oct, 2019 - [Paper published!]
My work collaborating with Prof. Nobuyuki Kutsukake at Sokendai is out in Evolutionary Ecology! We developed a flexible phylogenetic comparative method using approximate Bayesian computation (ABC-PCM) to consider complex evolutionary scenarios. We used the method to analyze complex social evolution in the African mole-rat clade. Have a read!
PC: Dr. Nobuyuki Kutsukake
May, 2019 - [Paper published!]
Our short note on a previously unknown tripartite association between ants, acacia trees, and scale insects in South Africa is out in African J of Ecology (https://rdcu.be/bE3wd)! Very excited to publish my first work at Princeton with my PhD cohort, Luojun Yang and Ryan Herbert!
May, 2019 - [Passed Generals/Qualifying Exam]
I passed my generals at Princeton Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and am officially a PhD candidate! I will continue to study behavioral evolution in mosquitoes using genomics. Feeling beyond thankful for my fantastic committee - Sarah Kocher, Ricardo Mallarino, Dina Fonseca, Josh Akey and above all - my amazing supervisor Lindy McBride!
April, 2019 - [Grant/Scholarship Awarded]
I am awarded the Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research from American Philosophical Society! Recipients of the grant are known as Lewis and Clark Field Scholars - feeling very honored to be a part of this society. This grant/scholarship will help my fieldwork this summer on the behavioral evolution of Culex pipiens.
January, 2019 - [Pacific Southwest Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases annual meeting]
I had a chance to present our ongoing project on the population genomics of Culex pipiens complex in California. Very grateful for the training grant that has enabled this large scale re-sequencing but more important is the new connection with amazing scientists! Picture: grant recipients :)
June, 2018 - [PipPop begins]
We are excited to announce the launch of PipPop – the Culex pipiens Population Genomics Project. Our goal is to better understand the evolutionary history of Culex pipiens, an important vector of West Nile Virus and lymphatic filariasis. Check out the project page and flyer for further details!
April, 2018 - [Grant Awarded]
In collaboration with Dr. Marm Kilpatrick at UC Santa Cruz, we received a generous training grant by Pacific Southwest Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases (PacVec)! This grant will allow us to explore the genomics of behavioral evolution in Culex pipiens mosquitoes, a primary vector of West Nile Virus.
March, 2018 - [NJ Mosquito Control Association Conference]
I presented at the 105th annual conference of NJMCA at Atlantic City, NJ! It was an exciting conference where all kinds of vector scientists - ecologists, entomologists and researchers at mosquito control agencies - come together and present their cutting edge works. Got a lot of insights and feedbacks on my preliminary work of Culex genomics!
Jan, 2018 - [Fieldwork in South Africa]
Princeton EEB 1st year cohort visited South Africa for 3 weeks! We stayed in the Kruger National Park & the Bontebok National Park to explore variety of ecosystems from savanna to fynbo. We conducted a few field work projects - one of which was on a three-way mutualism between ants, scale insects and acacia trees. We found some cool findings on the relationship in Kruger and are writing a manuscript to submit. Stay tuned!
Dec, 2017 - [Invited Seminar]
I gave a seminar on my MA work on the genomics of adaptation to photoperiodism, at the Graduate Univ. of Advanced Sciences (SOKENDAI). Huge thanks for hosting me to the Kutsukake lab (SokenDarwin group) and the Innan lab!!
October, 2017 - [Grant Awarded]
I am awarded Masayoshi Son Foundation Fellowship (孫正義育英財団), a generous funding for research!
The application was judged by Dr. Shinya Yamanaka (UCSF, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist), Dr. Makoto Gonokami (The president of University of Tokyo), among others. Very honored to be awarded this fellowship!
I will work on the genomics of the behavioral evolution of Culex mosquitoes with their help.
September, 2017 - [Started PhD + Fellowship]
I am exited to start my PhD at Princeton University, as a Centennial Fellowship recipient!
I will join the McBride lab and explore the world of the genetics and neurobiology of behavioral evolution of mosquitoes.
Image credit: the McBride lab
August, 2017 - [Invited seminar]
I gave seminars on my MA work on the genomics of adaptation to photoperiodism, at the University of Tokyo and the Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute. Huge thanks for hosting me to the Matsuo lab and the Yoshizawa lab!!
June, 2017 - [Paper published]
Our work on the evolution of PRDM9 across vertebrate taxa is now published in eLife! It's been my honor to work in this amazing team, led by Zach Baker and Molly Schumer!
May, 2017 - [Awarded the Best MA Thesis at Columbia]
I was awarded the 2017 Alfred Russell Wallace Prize for the best MA thesis in the Dept. of E3B at Columbia University for my thesis on behavioral genomics of an Asian burying beetle
with Dustin Rubenstein, Sheng-Feng Shen and Molly Przeworski! Feeling honored!
May, 2017 - [Finished MA at Columbia, Moving onto PhD at Princeton]
MA thesis on the genomics of behavioral evolution done. Could not thank my amazing advisors more, Drs. Dustin Rubenstein , Sheng-Feng Shen and Molly Przeworski!
Moreover, I'm very exited to start PhD at @Princeton this fall with and on the genomics & neuroscience of mosquitoes, working with Dr. Lindy McBride and Dr. Peter Andolfatto!
Dec, 2016 - [Grant Awarded]
I received another grant - The Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research - for my Master's thesis on behavioral genomics of an Asian burying beetle with Dustin Rubenstein and Sheng-Feng Shen! Thanks, The Sigma Xi Society!
Dec, 2016 - [Paper published]
Our paper on the evolution of PRDM9 across taxa is now preprinted in bioRxiv! Please have a look at it!
Aug, 2016 - [Conference presentation]
I attended the 18th annual meeting of the Society of Evolutionary Studies, held in Tokyo! Please take a look at my poster on a novel phylogenetic comparative method we developed to analyse complex evolutionary scenarios where discrete and continuous traits are biologically interwoven.
Aug, 2016 - [Field and Lab works]
I have been working on genomics of local behavioral adaptation in an Asian burying beetle!
Field work, behavioral experiments, wet lab work... and more! Please visit my Research page for details.
March, 2016 - [Grant Awarded]
I recieved a grant from the Earth Institute at Columbia University to travel to Japan and Taiwan to study behaviroal adaptation of burying beetles in Asia! Please visit the funding website for futher information.
Thanks, the Earth Institute!
