Sarah Westrick

Assistant Professor of Biology

Education:

Ph.D. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
B.S. Colorado State University, Fort Collins

Postdoctoral Research, University of Illinois, Eva K. Fischer Lab

Office:

Winston Hall 243
Phone: (336) 758-5321
Email: westris at wfu dot edu

Lab website: https://www.westricklab.com/

Research Interest

Dr. Westrick’s research focuses on the physiological, neural, and genomic mechanisms underlying parental care and other complex behaviors, particularly in amphibian models such as poison frogs. She investigates how variation in hormone levels, neural activity, and gene expression shapes parenting style, how maternal effects influence offspring success in wild mammals, and how rapid adaptation in gene expression can drive behavioral evolution. Her projects incorporate cutting-edge genomics (e.g., single-cell RNAseq, genome assembly) and integrative fieldwork to understand how behavior evolves and diversifies across species and environments.

Selected Publications

Westrick SE, Moss JB, & Fischer EK. (2022) Who cares? An integrative approach to understanding the evolution of behavioural plasticity in parental care. Animal Behaviour. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.10.005

Westrick SE, Laslo M, & Fischer EK. (2022) The big potential of the small frog Eleutherodactylus coqui. eLife. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.73401

Westrick SE, van Kesteren F, Boutin S, Lane JE, McAdam AG, & Dantzer B. (2021) Maternal glucocorticoids do not influence HPA axis activity or behavior of juvenile wild North American red squirrels. Journal of Experimental Biology. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.236620

Westrick SE, Taylor RW, Boutin S, Lane JE, McAdam AG, & Dantzer B. (2020) Attentive red squirrel mothers have faster-growing pups and higher lifetime reproductive success. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-020-02856-7