njdowdy Goto Github PK

NOTE: I mostly use Gitlab for version control. See my gitlab here: https://gitlab.com/njdowdy

• 🔭 I’m currently working on studying the evolution of tiger moth anti-predator defenses
• 🌱 I’m currently learning BioGeoBEARS, tRPC, Next.js, Prisma ORM, Figma
• 👯 I’m looking to collaborate on lepidopteran evolution & taxonomic resource management
• 💬 Ask me about taxonomy, lepidoptera, evolution, phylogenetics, programming, data science, etc!
• 📫 How to reach me: njdowdy[at]gmail.com
• 📹 https://www.youtube.com/@arctiinae
• 😄 Pronouns: he/him
• ⚡ Fun fact: Lover of horror, board games, and good food 🍜!
• 🌎 I co-organize an annual international meeting of tiger moth researchers. I also co-organzie a meeting for researchers of Noctuoidea. Get in touch if you are interested in joining us!

• 2022-current. Head of Zoology, Milwaukee Public Museum
• 2018-current. Assistant Research Professor, Wake Forest University
• 2018-2022. NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology (DBI-1811897), Milwaukee Public Museum
• 2020. Postdoctoral Researcher (PI: Jennifer M. Zaspel): Purdue University (Terrestrial Parasite Tracker TCN: DBI-1901932)
• 2017-2018. Postdoctoral Researcher (PI: Jennifer M. Zaspel): Purdue University (PERC CSBR: DBI-1561448)
• 2017. Entomological Collections Management Workshop
• 2011-2017. Ph.D. Biology (PI: William E. Conner): Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
• 2007-2011. B.S. Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Minors: Mathematics, Chemistry: University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

• 2023. Chesshire, P.R., Fischer, E.E., Dowdy, N.J., Griswold, T.L., Hughes, A.C., Orr, M.C., Ascher, J.S., Guzman, L.M., Hung, K.J., Cobb N.S., McCabe, L.M. Completeness analysis for over 3000 United States bee species identifies persistent data gap. Ecography. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.06584
• 2022. Fernández, Y., Dowdy, N.J., Conner, W.E. High click rates generate the sonar-jamming strategy of tiger moths (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae). Journal of Experimental Biology. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.244187
• 2021. Dowdy, N.J. TaxoTracker: A collaborative platform for taxonomic resource maintenance. Biodiversity Information Science and Standards. https://doi.org/10.3897/biss.5.73867
• 2020. Dowdy, N.J., Keating, S., Lemmon, A.R., Lemmon, E.M., Conner, W.E., Scott Chialvo, C.H., Weller, S.J., Simmons, R.B., Sisson, M.S., Zaspel, J.M. A deeper meaning for shallow‐level phylogenomic studies: nested anchored hybrid enrichment offers great promise for resolving the tiger moth tree of life (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae). Systematic Entomology. 45(4), p. 874-893. https://doi.org/10.1111/syen.12433
• 2020. Fernández, Y., Dowdy, N.J., Conner, W E. Extreme Duty Cycles in the Acoustic Signals of Tiger Moths: Sexual and Natural Selection Operating in Parallel. Integrative Organismal Biology. 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/iob/obaa046
• 2019. Dowdy, N.J., Conner, W.E. Nonchalant Flight in Tiger Moths (Erebidae: Arctiinae) Is Correlated With Unpalatability. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2019.00480
• 2019. Cobb, N.S., Gall, L.F., Zaspel, J.M., Dowdy, N.J., McCabe, L.M., Kawahara, A.Y. Assessment of North American arthropod collections: prospects and challenges for addressing biodiversity research. PeerJ. 7. e8086. http://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.8086
• 2019. Dowdy, N.J., Conner, W.E. Characteristics of tiger moth (Erebidae: Arctiinae) anti-bat sounds can be predicted from tymbal morphology. Frontiers in Zoology. 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-019-0345-6
• 2016. Dowdy, N.J., Conner, W.E. Acoustic Aposematism and Evasive Action in Select Chemically Defended Arctiine (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) Species: Nonchalant or Not? PLoS ONE. 11(4): e0152981. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0152981
• 2014. Perlman, S., Dowdy, N.J., Harris, L.R., Khalid, M., Kelly, S.E., Hunter, M.S. Factors Affecting the Strength of Cardinium-Induced Cytoplasmic Incompatibility in the Parasitic Wasp Encarsia pergandiella (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae). Microbial Ecology. 67(3): 671-678. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-013-0359-0

* = presenter

• 2022. Dowdy, N.J.* Misunderstood "Monsters" – Bats and Moths.North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences' "Misunderstood Monsters" presentation series. Virtual.
• 2022. Dowdy, N.J.*, Lemmon A.R., Lemmon E.M., Conner W.E., Zaspel J.M. Neotropical tiger moths (Erebidae: Arctiinae) have repeatedly evolved anti-bat sonar jamming. Entomological Society of America. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
• 2022. Dowdy, N.J.*, Lemmon A.R., Lemmon E.M., Conner W.E., Zaspel J.M. Anti-bat sonar jamming has evolved repeatedly in the phaegopterine tiger moths (and beyond). Arctiinae Research Community Meeting. Virtual.
• 2022. Sullivan, K.*, Dowdy, N.J. Museomics, phylogenomics, and bioinformatics in resolving the tiger moth tree of life. Arctiinae Research Community Meeting. Virtual.
• 2021. Dowdy, N.J.* Aerial warfare between bats & moths. Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata's "Unravelling the Moth Mysteries" presentation series. Virtual.
• 2021. Dowdy, N.J.*, Fisher, M.L., Lemmon, A.R., Lemmon, E.R., Conner, W.E., Zaspel, J.M. Recent advances in the phylogenomics of the Arctiinae (Lepidoptera: Erebidae). Arctiinae Research Community Meeting. Virtual.
• 2021. Fernández, Y.*, Dowdy, N.J.,Conner, W.E. Sexual and natural selection mold the acoustic signals of tiger moths in parallel. Arctiinae Research Community Meeting. Virtual.
• 2021. Barve, V., Dowdy, N.J., Mayfield-Meyer, T. Maintaining the taxonomic backbone (or connecting those who try). Symposium organizers and moderators. Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG). Virtual.
• 2021. Dowdy, N.J.* TaxoTracker: A collaborative platform for taxonomic resource maintenance. Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG). Virtual.
• 2020. Fisher, M.L.*, Dowdy, N.J., Lemmon, A.R., Lemmon, E.M., Sweet, A., Cameron, S., Zaspel, J.M. Phylogenetic assessment of the lichen-feeding tiger moth subtribe Cisthenina (Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini) by combining anchored hybrid enrichment data with traditional loci. Entomological Society of America. Virtual.
• 2020. Dowdy, N.J.*, Fisher, M.L., Lemmon, A.R., Lemmon, E.M., Zaspel, J.M. The best of both worlds: Assessing the utility of the CO1 locus in the phylogenomic age. Entomological Society of America. Virtual.
• 2019. Dowdy, N.J.* The Distribution and Evolution of the Sonar-Jamming Anti-Bat Defense of Tiger Moths. Boise State University's departmental seminar series, Boise, ID, USA.
• 2018. Dowdy, N.J.*, Conner, W.E., Lemmon A.R., Lemmon, E.M., Zaspel, J.M. Behavioral and chemoecology on the pin: utilizing collections to transform our understanding of the bat-moth arms race. International Society of Behavioural Ecology. Minneapolis, MN, USA.
• 2018. Zaspel, J.M., Kawahara, A., McCabe, L., Cobb, N.S., Dowdy, N.J.* The Distribution, Size and Digitization Productivity of North American Entomology Collections. Entomological Collections Network. Vancouver, Canada.
• 2018. Dowdy, N.J.* Behavioral and Chemoecology on the Pin Utilizing Museum Collections to Better Understand the Bat-Moth Arms Race. Lepidopterists' Society and Societas Europaea Lepidopterologica Joint Annual Meeting. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
• 2018. Dowdy, N.J.* Behavioral And Chemoecology on the Pin: Utilizing Museum Collections to Better Understand the Bat-Moth Arms Race. Purdue University's EcoLunch series. West Lafayette, IN, USA.
• 2018. Dowdy, N.J.* Aerial warfare between bats & moths. University of Wisconsin-Waukesha's EcoLunch series. Waukesha, WI, USA.
• 2017. Dowdy, N.J.* Can characteristics of tiger moth (Erebidae: Arctiinae) anti-bat sounds be predicted from morphology? Entomological Society of America. Denver, CO, USA.
• 2017. Dowdy, N.J.* Co-option of sexual structures as novel anti-bat defenses among males of certain tiger moths (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae). Entomological Collections Network. Denver, CO, USA.
• 2017. Dowdy, N.J.* Aerial warfare between bats and moths. Milwaukee Public Museum, Lunch and Lecture Series. Denver, CO, USA.
• 2016. Dowdy, N.J.* Different Strokes for Different Folks? Can we distinguish sonar-jamming and acoustic aposematism in tiger moths (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae)? International Congress of Entomology. Orlando, FL, USA.
• 2015. Dowdy, N.J.* Acoustic Aposematism in Tiger Moths: Efficacy in the Field. International Meeting on Invertebrate Sound & Vibration. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

• 2022. MPM Press Release. Milwaukee Public Museum Hires Three Additional Scientific and Research Curators to Lead Botany, History and Anthropology, and Zoology Departments. Urban Milwaukee LINK
• 2022. Knight, K. Fast-fire moths are better jammers, but bats can outsmart them. Journal of Experimental Biology. 225 (18): jeb244954. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.244954
• 2020. NSF News. Chemical defenses allow some moths to escape predatory bats. LINK
• 2019. SciShow. Why These Moths Don't Run Away from Bats. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XznUaYRPptc
• 2019. Hasting, C. Lazy moths taste disgusting. Frontiers Science News. LINK
• 2019. PA News Agency. Lazy moths ‘taste disgusting so put less effort into evading predators’. Irvine Times. LINK
• 2019. Walawalkar, A. Bad taste in the moth: study reveals insect's chemical defence. The Guardian. LINK
• 2019. Bard, S. Moths Flee or Face Bats, Depending on Toxicity. Scientific American. LINK
• 2019. Hayes, B. Bitter moths can't be bothered by hungry bats. United Press International. LINK
• 2019. Katz, B. Some Moths Taste So Bad That They Don’t Bother Fleeing From Bats. Smithsonian Magazine. LINK
• 2017. PBS Deep Look. These Whispering, Walking Bats Are Onto Something. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2py029bwhA
• 2016. Quirks and Quarks: Moths tell bats they taste nasty. LINK
• 2016. Davis. B. Tiger moths use signals to warn bats: toxic not tasty. Wake Forest News. LINK
• 2016. 2 New Things. Moth Fends Off Bats With Surprising Puff Of Sticky, White Fluff. LINK
• 2016. Interviewed for "Nature's Weirdest Events", BBC Two. Miami, FL, USA.
• 2016. Gough, Z. This new moth has an explosive way of fending off bats. BBC Earth. LINK (broken)
• 2016. Research & Filming Consultant. BBC. "Skyworlds".
• 2012. Research & Filming Consultant. National Geographic. Untamed Americas, Season 1, Episode 2: Deserts. CLIP

• 2022. Securing and Digitizing the Fluid-Stored Zoology Collections at the Milwaukee Public Museum -- Pending
• 2022. Top Cited Article 2020-2021 in Systematic Entomology LINK
• 2021. NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology Supplement (DBI 1811897) -- $69,000
• 2018. John J. Brander and Christine E. Rundblad Research Fellowship -- $10,000
• 2018. NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology (DBI 1811897) -- $138,000
• 2017. ESA Student Competition for the President’s Prize in the Lepidoptera Section -- $186
• 2017. Grady Britt Award -- $2,500
• 2017. Elton C. Cocke Outstanding Graduate Student Award -- $500
• 2017. Entomological Collections Network Travel Grant -- $1,000
• 2015. Company of Biologist’s Award -- $500
• 2013. Theodore Roosevelt Research Grant, American Museum of Natural History -- $2,000
• 2013. Wake Forest University Vecellio Travel Grant -- $950
• 2013. Workshop in Next-Generation Sequencing Student Travel Award -- $200

• 2022. Zoology Team Lead, Milwaukee Public Museum 7th Annual BioBlitz, Pringle Nature Center, WI, USA
• 2021. Consultant. American Museum of Natural History. Extinct and Endangered: Insects in Peril Exhibit. LINK
• 2021. Zoology Team Lead, Milwaukee Public Museum 6th Annual BioBlitz, Wehr Nature Center, WI, USA
• 2020. MPM Breakfast with the Curators 2020. LINK
• 2019. The many ways species interact in the rainforest. Milwaukee Public Museum Exhibit.
• 2019. Lepidopterist, Milwaukee Public Museum 5th Annual BioBlitz, Riveredge Nature Center, WI, USA
• 2018. Lepidopterist, Milwaukee Public Museum 4th Annual BioBlitz, Lake Farm County Park, WI, USA
• 2017. Lepidopterist, Milwaukee Public Museum 3rd Annual BioBlitz, Fox River Park, WI, USA
• 2016. Lead Presenter & Guide, Moth Week, Prairie Ridge Ecostation, Raleigh, NC, USA
• 2015. Lead Presenter & Guide, Moth Week, Prairie Ridge Ecostation, Raleigh, NC, USA
• 2014. Lead Presenter & Guide, Moth Week, Prairie Ridge Ecostation, Raleigh, NC, USA
• 2013. Lead Presenter & Guide, Moth Week, Prairie Ridge Ecostation, Raleigh, NC, USA
• 2012. BugFest Booth: BUGS VS. BATS!, North Carolina Natural Science Museum, Raleigh, NC, USA

• Neotropical tiger moths (Erebidae: Arctiinae) have repeatedly evolved anti-bat sonar jamming
• Phylogenomics resolves the biogeographic history of the rogue genus, Xenosoma
• Building a community-based taxonomic resource for digitization of parasites and their hosts
• Mistaken identities and lost species, resolving some taxonomic problems in the genus Hypercompe Hübner
• Phylogenomics resolves long-standing higher-level taxonomic confusion within neotropical tiger moths
• Predicting the suitability of museum specimens in museomics
• The best of both worlds - combining traditional molecular markers with anchored hybrid enrichment to improve taxon sampling
• Resolving the higher-level systematics of the Syntomini
• Species delimitation in the genus Hypoprepia (Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini) using phylogenomics
• Teasing apart phylogenetic signal for anchored hybrid enrichment optimization
• A novel anti-bat function of pheromone-disseminating structures in the tiger moth Eucereon zizana (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae)
• Novel use of moth flocculent as a defense against bat predation
• The evolution of host-plant utilization within a major lineage of Arctiinae
• The geographic mosaic and the evolution of anti-bat sonar jamming