Current Lab Members

Ryan Shartau
Assistant Professor
I am an integrative comparative physiologist who is interested in how animals tolerate natural and human induced environmental change. Much of my work focuses on acid-base physiology, and how adaptations of physiological systems associated with acid-base homeostasis drive evolutionary transitions, and using physiology to address conservation related questions. I use experimental and quantitative approaches that include molecular and biochemical, and whole animal measurements, field-based research, and modeling to integrate the effects of biotic and abiotic stress from gene expression through to ecosystem change. My training was conducted at the University of Calgary (BSc & MSc), University of British Columbia (PhD), with post-docs at Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the University of Prince Edward Island. I was an Assistant Professor at The University of Texas at Tyler from 2021 - 2025, and moved to Washington State University in August 2025.
Magaleate Kostelnik (WSU) – Ph.D. student
I completed my B.S. in Marine Science and Biology at the University of Tampa in 2019, with minors in Chemistry and Environmental Science. In 2024, I earned an M.S. from FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, where my thesis examined how environmental hypoxia affects the early development of marine finfish, using fatty acid profiling to assess energy allocation and metabolic adaptation. As a researcher, I am broadly interested in stress responses in fish and their physiological adaptations. I am now beginning my Ph.D. at Washington State University, where I aim to expand my work on organismal resilience in support of conservation.
Adrian Alvarez - Ph.D. student
​In 2023, I completed my B.S. in Wildlife Biology with minor in Physical Geography at Texas State University. In 2026, I earned my M.S. in Biology from The University of Texas at Tyler. There, my thesis focused on aggregating Texas crayfish museum specimens to observe how their ranges have changed throughout time in an effort to update their conservation statuses within the state.  As I begin my Ph.D. at Washington State University, I intend to focus on using organismal physiology to improve conservation efforts.
Dr. Shahinur S. Islam - Postdoctoral Fellow
I am an evolutionary physiologist interested in understanding how species respond and adapt to changing environments. Using genetic and genomic tools, along with field, laboratory, and computational approaches, my research integrates evolution, ecology, physiology, and conservation biology, primarily in aquatic systems. I completed my PhD in Marine Biology at Memorial University of Newfoundland. I then worked as a Post-doctoral Fellow at the University of Windsor and the University of California, Davis. Currently, I am a Post-doctoral Researcher at Washington State University, where I investigate the genomic mechanisms underlying developmental and physiological adaptations to aquaculture-relevant and environmental stressors. In addition to academic activities, I enjoy playing tennis and fishing.

Lab Alumni - Graduate Students

Andy Walker - M.S. 2026
Thesis: Environmental tolerances and habitat association of three endemic crayfish species in Texas
Current position: Wildlife non-profit in Wyoming 
Adrian Alvarez - M.S. 2026
Thesis: Aggregation and collation of Texas crayfish museum specimens to determine their current conservation statuses
Current position: PhD student at Washington State University
Trent Furr - M.S. 2025
Thesis: Impact of gas supersaturation on the development of gas bubble trauma in paedomorphic Eurycea salamanders
Current position: Veterinary student at Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine | Rowan University
Dillon Flowers - M.S. 2024
Thesis: Investigating the cellular mechanisms of intracellular pH regulation during exposure to high CO2
Current position: PhD student at Oklahoma State University
Brandon Ellingson - M.S. 2023
Thesis: Identification of biomarkers of sub-lethal algal toxin exposure in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) and Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) using differential gene expression analysis
Current position: Contractor for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Lab Alumni - Undergraduate Students​

  • 2024: Allison B. - Environmental monitoring of an East Texas lake
  • 2023: Angela M. - Literature review on fish acid-base physiology
  • 2023: Michael D.  - Algal toxins in Texas wetlands
  • 2022: Lauren F.  - Literature review on sturgeon physiology
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