Our team
Principal Investigator: Dr. Lauren Petrullo
[cv] [google scholar]
Lauren is from the east coast (New Jersey/New York) and is a proud NYU alum. She got her PhD at Stony Brook University and then completed a three-year NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology ("Rules of Life") at the University of Michigan. She joined the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona as an Assistant Professor in Fall 2023. She's interested in how animals cope with environmental instability and all things microbiome, especially understanding how commensal microbiota play a role in the broader ecology and evolution of animal populations; endocrinology, life history, phenotypic plasticity and maternal effects. When not working, she's probably chasing around her spirited toddler or dogs.
Dr. Gabriele Schiro, postdoctoral researcher
(co-advised with Dr. Taichi Suzuki, ASU)
Gabri joined the Petrullo lab after working as a computing scientist at the PANDA core for genomics and microbiome research at the University of Arizona. Fascinated by microbes—the simplest yet most complex form of life, Gabri now wants to know more about host-microbiome interactions, microbiome community assembly and host-microbiome co-evolution. He has a love-hate relationship with bioinformatics: it’s love when the code works, and hate when it doesn’t. When he's not analyzing data, you'll find him riding his bike, strumming his guitar, or adventuring through the Sonoran Desert. You can read more about Gabri's work and interests at his website here.
Dr. Zachary Compton, postdoctoral researcher
Zachary received his doctorate in Evolutionary Biology from Arizona State University and subsequently completed a NIH T32 Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Arizona Cancer Center. He is interested in all the intersections that medicine makes with evolutionary theory, particularly comparative oncology - the study of cancer across the tree of life. Much of his work has focused on applying comparative phylogenetics to understand how evolutionary change shapes disease risk. Zach is passionate about student mentorship, a passion that culminated in founding the Arizona Cancer Evolution (ACE) Scholars program, which has since grown into one of the largest undergraduate research training programs in the country. Outside the lab, Zach enjoys fly fishing and exploring the desert Southwest.
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Natalie Morris, Ph.D. student
Natalie is a PhD student in EEB and a University Fellow who joined the Petrullo Lab in Fall 2024, after she completed her undergraduate degree at Cornell University. Broadly, Natalie is interested in physiological ecology, developmental plasticity, and host-microbe interactions. Outside of the lab, she enjoys lifting weights, riding horses, house music, and hiking. You can read more about Natalie at her website here.
Allyson Placko, postbac researcher and lab manager
Ally is a UA grad interested broadly interested in disease ecology and the microbiome's role within it. Particularly, parasite-microbiome dynamics and their effect on symptomatic vs asymptomatic disease. She previously worked with a number of different established and emerging plant viruses as well as on the Galapagos islands working with Darwin's finches and Avian Pox, to understand viral diversity, spread, and disease.
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Abby Pearse, undergraduate researcher
Abby is a senior Honor's undergraduate student majoring in bioinformatics and minoring in marine science. She joined the Petrullo lab in the fall of 2024, and she is predominantly interested in different types of community ecology. In her free time, she enjoys all things outdoors and reading.
McKenzie Matlock, undergraduate researcher
McKenzie is as senior undergraduate student at the University of Arizona. She is majoring in EEB and became a part of the Petrullo lab in the fall of 2024. McKenzie is broadly interested in different types of environmental interactions. When not doing school, she enjoys getting outdoors, reading, traveling, or baking.
Mula, lab foster dog
Adoptable Mula is an exceptionally perfect breed mix of Couch Potato and Cuddle bug and spends her days helping her labmates with coding issues, writing, and last-minute deadlines. She has been enjoying her time outside of the PACC shelter as honorary lab dog and is looking for a forever home!
Want to join us?
Prospective undergraduates
email Lauren with (i) a few sentences describing the kinds of questions or topics you are interested in, (ii) the area(s) of research in our lab that you want to learn more about, (iii) a list of some of the relevant courses you have taken to date, (iv) your professional/post-graduate plans (if you have them - this allows me to consider how a rotation with our lab could best serve your career goals).
For current undergrads, check out the the different options for credited involvement in our lab group within the EEB department [here].
Prospective graduate students
I *am* recruiting PhD/MS students this cycle (Fall 2025 application cycle to start Fall 2026).
Check out the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) at UA and see if it's a place you might want to be. Then email Lauren with some info about your academic background (where are you coming from?) and some of your research ideas/interests. We can set up a time to chat to see if we might be a good fit for each other.
*****Prospective students interested in applying to start in Fall 2025 should contact me and follow the detailed application instructions (check out the FAQ) [here] and plan to apply by early December of this year (2025).
Prospective postdocs
I am always happy to sponsor independent postdoc fellowship applications (e.g., NSF and/or NIH). There are also a number of internal postdoc opportunities at UA (e.g., One Health postdoc) Please contact me if you are interested in writing one of these together.