Winter A. Beckles

Lecturer
Undergraduate Laboratory Coordinator

Phone:
(305) 284-9506
Locator Code:
0421

 
Career

Education

2020Ph.D. Biology, University of Miami
2013B.A. Biology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Professional Experience

2020 - Lecturer, Department of Biology, University of Miami
2020 - Undergraduate Laboratory Coordinator, Department of Biology, University of Miami
Research

Research Interests

I am interested in the mechanisms that drive evolution among wild populations introduced to new habitats. In particular, I am interested in how animal signals evolve to maintain efficacy in novel signaling environments, and how these changes can in turn influence important behaviors associated with mate choice, competition, and predator evasion. My current projects explore these processes in reptile species introduced to southern Florida from the Caribbean islands and surrounding areas, specifically regarding the evolution of visual signaling traits across dynamic visual environments. By incorporating molecular techniques, behavioral experiments, and field studies, my goal is to improve our understanding of the role species introductions play in evolutionary diversification. 

Teaching Interests

I am enthusiastic about teaching and strive to encourage critical thinking and creativity in the classroom, in the laboratory, and in the field. I do my best to incorporate hands on activities and field excursions as often as possible when introducing students to new concepts and rely on everyday examples to make subject matter relevant and accessible.  As a mentor, I seek to engage and prepare students from all backgrounds to be successful by helping them to develop scientific, academic, and professional skills. Each student brings unique perspective, and I encourage students to use this perspective to drive inquiry in novel directions. 

Publications

Stroud, J. T., Mothes, C. C., Beckles, W., Heathcote, R. J., Donihue, C. M., & Losos, J. B. (2020).

SUMMARY:
An extreme cold event leads to community-wide convergence in lower temperature tolerance in a lizard community. Biology letters, 16(10), 20200625