Meet the Team

Zachary MacDonald, Principal Investigator

Zac is broadly interested in how ecological and evolutionary processes structure biodiversity across space and through time. His lab’s research sits at the intersection of whole-genome and spatial analyses, with a particular focus on conservation genomics and forward-in-time climate modeling. Because whole-genome analyses are difficult and expensive, the lab emphasizes work with clear biological and conservation utility: generating insights that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to obtain and using them to change how conservation managers understand and protect biodiversity. Zac works primarily on insects of conservation concern, particularly butterflies and damselflies, and collaborates closely with conservation agencies across North America. Outside the lab, Zac spends a lot of time cycling, fly fishing, freediving, and generally looking for excuses to be outside, preferably while double dipping with field sampling.

Our Members

  • Ethan Nguyen

    Post-Baccalaureate Researcher 

    Ethan is interested in evolutionary ecology, specifically how various ecological processes and species interactions can catalyze speciation and extinction. His current research aims to explore the temporal and spatial effects on butterfly diversity (richness and evenness) across the UCR campus using a methodology he has developed. Moreover, he is in charge of the project’s data management. Outside of the lab, Ethan enjoys weightlifting and swimming.

  • Reese Leach

    Undergraduate Researcher (UCR RISE)

    Reese is interested in ecology, conservation biology, and genomics, particularly in understanding how ecological and genomic factors shape species and their responses to changing environments. She joined the MacDonald Lab through the UCR RISE program, where she studied fine-scale habitat use, movement, and territorial behavior in a newly discovered rubyspot damselfly endemic to California (Hetaerina sp.). This experience has strengthened her interest in using both field-based ecological research and genomic approaches to better understand and conserve threatened species.

  • Isabella Bello

    Undergraduate Researcher (UCR RISE)

    Isabella is interested in various fields of biology, including human and ecological biology. She initially joined the MacDonald Lab through UCR RISE and has expanded her research within the lab since. Her research focuses on restoration ecology, particularly using butterfly diversity, including species richness, evenness, and indices combining both, to measure restoration efficacy. She established a butterfly monitoring program at San Timoteo Nature Sanctuary and is now working to expand this research across the human-wildlife interface throughout the Inland Empire. Outside the lab, Isabella enjoys reading sci-fi and thriller novels, knitting, and spending time at the beach.

  • Bailey Vontoure

    Undergraduate Researcher (UC Reserve Internship)

    Bailey is studying Environmental Science at UCR. She joined the MacDonald Lab through the UCR Natural Reserve System Summer Internship Program, where she contributed to developing a long-term butterfly monitoring project across the UCR campus and Natural Reserves. Her work included conducting butterfly and vegetation surveys, identifying species, collecting GPS data, and using R and spatial analysis to examine butterfly diversity and distribution across urban and natural environments. This experience strengthened her interest in ecological monitoring and its application to natural resource management and conservation.

  • Kentaro Matsunaga

    Former student and lab technician

    Kentaro Matsunaga is a past student and laboratory technician in the MacDonald Lab, where he worked on the ecology, evolution, and conservation of butterflies and plants. His work combined field ecology, biogeography, and population genomics to understand how species respond to climate and environmental change, with a particular interest in alpine systems and western North American butterflies. He continues to collaborate with the MacDonald Lab on several ongoing research projects. An avid climber, Kentaro has spent considerable time in high-elevation environments, where his interests in natural history and mountain ecosystems closely overlap with his research. He is now a PhD student at the University of British Columbia.

  • Avik Shrestha

    Former Student and Lab Technician

    Avik is a former student of the MacDonald Lab who currently contributes as a lab technician and website engineer. He is interested in conservation ecology, particularly how insect biodiversity responds to changes in ecological and environmental factors. His work in the lab combines his interests in biodiversity and conservation with his technical experience in data management and web development. Outside of lab, Avik enjoys playing soccer and guitar.