Csenge Petak, Biology Graduate Program Csenge is a third-year Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Melissa Pespeni’s lab. She is interested in the evolution of evolvability. That is, how past selection influences the speed and direction of future evolution. For her doctoral research, she focuses specifically on how development and gene regulation evolve under changing environmental conditions and how this in turn influences evolution. She uses whole-genome population genomics to identify signatures of selection in populations of purple sea urchins, as well as computational modeling of gene regulatory networks.

Csenge was born and raised in Hungary and completed her B.S. in biology at the University of Southampton (UK). At UVM, she completed a Certificate in Complex Systems and Data Science and is an active QuEST (Quantitative Evolutionary STEM Training Program) trainee. In her spare time, Csenge loves to rock climb, hike, and dance.

The Fialho Research Award is given annually to a University of Vermont doctoral student in support of their research in areas related to ecology, evolution, population genetics, or animal behavior. The funds are awarded in memory of Roberto Fabri Fialho, Ph.D., Biology.