Lauren Johnson

she/her
Graduate Student
Mosquito Team

How did you get here? What brought you to Tyson?

I'm a PhD candidate at Washington University in St. Louis. Much of my graduate research has used anole lizards as a study system to better understand the evolution of traits, behaviors, and species. I've done cool fieldwork in both Miami and Jamaica. In Jamaica, I worked with several local university students. Seeing their excitement while studying animals that lived around them day-to-day was inspiring. I thought, wow, I want to have that same excitement studying animals that live around me. So I changed my research agenda to study locally in and around St. Louis. And since St. Louis is a big urban city, I searched for people at WashU doing urban evolution and ecology work. That led me to Dr. Rachel Penczykowski, Dr. Kim Medley, and Dr. Katie Westby. I then got convinced of how cool mosquitoes are and charged full speed ahead.

Tell me a bit about your role on the team.

I'm conducting a massive research project this summer, which involves our team visiting over 60 sites across St. Louis to study mosquito behavior. A lot of my time is spent organizing our sampling in the city and communicating with our sites. I also get to use my research experience to help undergraduates and high school students as they develop their own independent projects.  

What is something that your team has accomplished together?

It's hard to pick one thing that our team has accomplished. We've accomplished a lot together. Everyone in the lab, including undergraduates and high school students, has their own independent project. Aside from our incredible research productivity, our team has accomplished a fun culture and overall team dynamic. We're all eager to help each other out with our projects. We are super productive in the lab and care for each other outside of traditional work. One of my favorite activities is lab picnic lunches, where lab members will meet with the field team at a park to have pizza or a potluck of different treats. Our team is also good at hearing each other out when we're not feeling 100% and checking in on how we are doing overall, not just with our work.

How does Tyson feel similar/different from other research experiences?

I really love working at Tyson. My research experience here makes me not want to leave. How do I get a gig here? I've often struggled with imposter syndrome in my prior research experiences, but I haven't ever felt like an imposter here. Tyson is such a great place that makes me feel like I can excel as a scientist, and it also makes me enjoy my science more than ever.

What activities have made you feel most connected to the Tyson community?

Community lunches. I've never been in a work setting where everyone takes a lunch break to eat lunch together. It's an excellent opportunity to chat and get to know other people.