Ty Hedrick - Assistant Professor/Lab PI - Curriculum Vitae - Google Scholar Profile
Brown University in 1997 where he worked in Dr. Sharon Swartz's laboratory. After a two year detour in the software industry, he began a Ph.D. in Biology at Harvard University where he worked under Dr. Andrew Biewener at the Concord Field Station. After completing his thesis, Aerodynamics, biomechanics and neuromuscular control of avian flight, he received a Ph.D. in June of 2004. He then worked as a postdoctoral research assistant with Dr. Thomas Daniel at the University of Washington with funding from the National Science Foundation and DARPA. Ty started his latest job as an Assistant Professor in the University of North Carolina Department of Biology in July, 2007.
Brandon E. Jackson - Postdoctoral researcher
Brandon joined the lab in summer 2012 after completing a Ph.D. and postdoctoral work at The University of Montana Flight Lab where he studied biomechanics and locomotor development in a variety of bird species. Here at UNC he is heading up field recording efforts to understand the performance envelope of small insectivorous birds such as swallows in their natural environment.
Victor M. Ortega - Postdoctoral researcher
In Mexico, Victor was granted a Ph.D. in Marine Ecology working on the aerodynamic effects of plumage wettability in seabirds. Following his Ph.D., Victor was awarded a prestigious UC-MEXUS fellowship for postdoctoral study at UC Berkeley in Dr. Robert Dudley's lab where he examined how volant animals deal with complex air flows and how flying insects are affected by static charges. He is continuing this work in the UNC bioflight group. Here, he is exploring the superb abilities of hawk moths flying in vortical flows, such as those produced by dust devils or shed from bluff bodies in wind. Also, he plans to study the effects of static electrical charge on the wing kinematics of insects.
Jeremy Greeter - Graduate student
Jeremy graduated from the University of Miami with a double major in Biomedical Engineering and Physics. He is studying flight stability and control in hawkmoths (Manduca sexta).
Shannon Jones - Graduate student
Shannon is a second year Ph.D. student in UNC's Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program working jointly in the Hedrick lab and Mathematical Physiology Group. Shannon is currently examining how plants respond to fluid dynamic forces.
Ryan Shelton - Graduate student
After exploring career options in non-profits, counseling, and restaurant management, Ryan has returned to science as a Biology Ph.D. student. He started with a BS in Biology from Duke University in 2003, moved to Harvard as a technician with George Lauder in 2010, and is now in Ty Hedrick's Lab at UNC. Ryan is exploring a variety of possible thesis topics.
Nick Deluga - Undergraduate researcher
Nick is working on an independent undergraduate research project (BIOL 395) examining the effects of air density on the free-flight performance of Cliff Swallows. He spent the summer helping gather the field recordings and is now working his way through the data, learning some MATLAB programming as he goes.
Lab Alumni:
Evan Bluhm, Pavel Chtcheprov, Brad Dickerson, Ellis Driver, María José Fernández, Jaime Isetts, Thuy Nguyen, Laura Pianowski, Shanthi Ravi, Alice Robinson, Rikki Schroeder, Dwight Springthorpe, TJ Tkacik, Sarah Wright
