Ciaran A. Shaughnessy, Ph.D.

Hometown | Portland, Maine, USA

Current Position | Assistant Professor of Integrative Physiology

Office | 307 Life Sciences West, Department of Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078

Research Interests | Dr. Shaughnessy's research investigates the physiological mechanisms that support environmental adaptation and endocrine signaling across vertebrates. His lab focuses on epithelial transport processes, hormonal regulation, and stress physiology, using a combination of molecular, cellular, and whole-animal approaches. This work bridges comparative, applied, and translational physiology, including investigations into how ion transporters and hormone receptors evolved during the radiation of vertebrates, how animals respond to environmental change, and how to treat epithelial ion transport dysfunction in diseases like cystic fibrosis.

Current Society Appointments

• Treasurer | Physiology Section of the American Fisheries Society
• International Committee | International Society for Fish Endocrinology

Current Courses Offered

• BIOL 3204 "Physiology" | Upper-division lecture/lab course required by multiple departmental/degree programs
• BIOL 3700 "Readings and Special Studies in Integrative Biology" | Undergraduate independent study
• BIOL 4700 "Undergraduate Research Problems" | Undergraduate research credit
• BIOL 5000 "Research for Master's Thesis" | Graduate research credit
• BIOL 6000 "Research for PhD Dissertation" | Graduate research credit

Previous Training and Fellowships

• NSF Postdoctoral Fellow (PRFB) | University of Denver (Denver, CO)
• NIH NRSA Postdoctoral Fellow (F32) | National Jewish Health (Denver, CO)
• Ph.D., Organismic and Evolutionary Biology | University of Massachusetts Amherst (Amherst, MA)
• M.S., Biological Sciences | DePaul University (Chicago, IL)
• B.S., Chemistry | Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago, IL)

Ava Cannizzaro

Hometown | Philadelphia, PA, USA

Current Position | M.S. Student in Integrative Biology

Research Interests | Ava's research interests include conservation physiology and marine biology. In the Shaughnessy Lab, she studies seawater-type ionocytes in sea lamprey gills, focusing on the role of potassium channels in osmoregulation. Her future plans are to pursue a Ph.D. and a career in academia and intends to integrate her research and teaching in field-based settings.

Previous Training

• B.S., Biology | University of Denver (Denver, CO)

Allison DeLoache, M.S.

Hometown | South Carolina, USA

Current Position | Ph.D. Student in Integrative Biology

Research Interests | Forthcomming...

Previous Training

• B.S., Biological Sciences | Clemson University (Clemson, SC)
• M.S., Biological Sciences | Southeastern Louisiana University (Hammond, LA)

Dillon Flowers, M.S.

Hometown | Durango, CO, USA

Current Position | Ph.D. Student in Integrative Biology

Research Interests | Dillon’s research interests include conservation physiology, epithelial ion transport, acid-base regulation, and respiratory processes in aquatic organisms. Dillon has previously worked on mechanisms of acid-base regulation in fishes. In the Shaughnessy Lab, he studies the seawater adaptive ion transport and acid-base regulatory mechanisms of the intestinal tract of various fish models, including sea lamprey and Atlantic killifish. His career goals are to work in academia as a comparative physiologist, continuing his research focus in aquatic physiology.

Previous Training

• B.S., Zoology | Weber State University (Ogden, UT)
• M.S., Biology | University of Texas at Tyler (Tyler, TX)

Susanne Hahs

Hometown | New Hampshire, USA

Current Position | M.S. Student in Integrative Biology

Research Interests | Forthcomming...

Previous Training

• B.S., Biology | Boston College (Boston, MA)

Madison Merideth

Hometown | Edmond, Oklahoma

Current Position | M.S. Student in Integrative Biology

Research Interests | Forthcomming...

Previous Training

• B.S., Biology | Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, OK)

Kristine Branch

Hometown | USA

Current Position | B.S. Student in Biology

Research Interests | Forthcomming...

Conner Brown

Hometown | Oklahoma, USA

Current Position | B.S. Student

Research Interests | Forthcomming...

Samantha Kennedy

Hometown | Edmond, Oklahoma, USA

Current Position | B.S. Student in Biology

Research Interests | Forthcomming...