Curriculum Vitae

Professional and Academic Interests
Tropical forest biodiversity, community ecology, drivers of biodiversity generation and maintenance.

Education
University of Maryland, College Park: Fall 2014 – ?
Ph.D student
Advisor: Dr. Nathan Kraft

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities: Fall 2010 – Spring 2013.
Bachelor of Science in Ecology, Evolution & Behavior and Plant Biology
Minor: Biochemistry
Professional (Biology) GPA: 3.9
Phi Beta Kappa

Eden Prairie High School, Eden Prairie, Minnesota: 2006-2010.

Research Experiences
University of Minnesota (Twin Cities), St. Paul, MN
Junior Scientist, Dr. Candice Hirsch, Dept. of Agronomy & Plant Genetics, December 2013-present
I am working on bioinformatic analyses of transcriptomic and genomic sequence data from various lines of maize.

Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC
Research Intern, Dr. Liz Zimmer, Dept. of Botany & Laboratory of Analytical Biology, May 2013-August 2013.
Describing allotetraploid speciation in Isoetes (quillworts) using chloroplast DNA markers.

University of Minnesota (Twin Cities), St. Paul, MN
Field Research Student, Dr. Jennifer Powers, Depts. of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior and Plant Biology. May 2013.
Variation of leaf water use traits in evergreen trees and lianas in Santa Rosa National Park, Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

Curatorial Assistant, Dr. George Weiblen, Bell Museum of Natural History, December 2012-May 2013.
Database assistant at the BMNH Herbarium. Managed MySQL database (through Specify and Sequel Pro); digitized specimen data; managed Minnesota and Papua New Guinea specimens.

Research Assistant, Dr. George Weiblen, Dept. of Plant Biology, September 2012-May 2013.
Community phylogenetics and forest dynamics of a Papua New Guinea forest.

Research Assistant, Dr. Bo Hu, Dept. of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, January 2012-September 2012.
Microbial and chemical composition of foaming swine manure.

Publications
2. Kandlikar, G.S., Johnson, G.P., Taylor, W.C., and Zimmer, E.A. Chloroplast DNA reveals uniparental plastid inheritance from Isoetes engelmannii in two allotetraploid speciation events. (In prep.)
1. Yan, M., Kandlikar, G., Jacobson, L., Clanton, C., and Hu, B. Lab simulation to determine the factors affecting swine manure foaming. Transactions of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. (Submitted)

Other Courses/Workshops
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Gardens, Xishuangbanna, China.
Advanced Fieldcourse in Ecology and Conservation (led by Dr. Richard Corlett). October -November 2013. Named “Best Project and Presentation”  by AFEC Core Instructors Committe

Teaching/Mentoring Experience
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC.
Mentor to two high school students in the Youth Engagement in Science (YES) program in the Laboratory of Analytical Biology. Led the students on a project to study the population genetics of Isoetes.

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN.
Teaching Assistant, Dept. of Biology, January 2012-December 2012.
Taught the lab portion of a course on Biology with a focus on Evolutionary and Ecological Perspectives for undergraduate non-Biology majors. Spring 2011, 40 Students with Drs. Bruce Fall and Mark Decker; Fall 2012, 24 students with Dr. Craig Packer.

Posters and Presentations
5. Kandlikar, G.S.*, Nguyen, H.*, Wu, W-H*, Zeng, S-J.*, and Xin, Y*. “Leaf Variation in Ficus: an evolutionary perspective (link).” Oral Presentation at the Advanced Field-course in Ecology and Conservation (AFEC) Symposium at the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Gardens. November 2013.
4. Kandlikar, G., Freund, F.D, Johnson, G.P., Taylor, W.C., and Zimmer, E.A. Chloroplast DNA reveals uniparental plastid inheritance from Isoetes engelmannii in two allotetraploid speciation events. Poster presentation at the 2013 National Museum of Natural History’s NHRE (REU) symposium. Washington, DC. August 2013.
3. Kandlikar, G., Weiblen, G., and Vincent, J.Assessing community assembly in a lowland rainforest of Papua New Guinea using spatial and phylogenetic turnover. Oral presentation at National Conference on Undergraduate Research. Lacrosse, WI. April 2013. See bottom of page for presentation.
2. Kandlikar, G. Biodiversity of a tropical forest. Oral presentation at the UMN Student Engagement Leadership Forum on Sustainability. Duluth, MN. October 2012.
1. Kandlikar, G., Yan, M., and Hu, B. Microbial and chemical characterization of foaming swine manure. Poster Presentation at the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center’s Summer Research Exposition. Minneapolis, MN. August 2012.

Funding and Honors
Graduate education:
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (2014-2019)
University of Maryland Graduate School’s Flagship Fellowship (2014-2019)

Undergraduate education:
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Gardens: 2013. Full scholarship to the XTBG Advanced Field-course in Ecology and Conservation (AFEC). ¥ 8,000.
NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates award: 2013, Natural History Research Experiences program at the National Museum of Natural History. $5,500.
Phi Beta Kappa: Elected 2013, University of Minnesota.
Hamm Memorial Scholarship in Plant Research Sciences: 2013. $1,000.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program: 2012-13. Awarded by the UMN Office of the Vice-Provost for Undergraduate Education. Assessing Phylogenetic Alpha and Beta Diversity in a Papua New Guinea Forest. $1,700.
Undergraduate Leader Award, UMN Institute on the Environment: 2012-13. $1,000.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program: 2011-12. Awarded by the UMN Office of the Vice-Provost for Undergraduate Education. Microbial and Chemical Characterization of Foaming Swine Manure. $1,400.
UMN College of Biological Sciences Dean’s Scholar: Fall 2010-Spring 2013.
UMN College of Biological Sciences Dean’s List: Fall 2010-Spring 2013.

Professional Societies
Botanical Society of America: 2013-present

Other Experiences
-President of the University of Minnesota Quizbowl team: 2012-2013.
Managed a team of >20 players and a budget of >$10,000. Organized ~10 tournaments on the UMN campus for regional high school and collegiate teams; organize the team’s attendance to regional and national tournaments.
-Editor of academic competition questions: 2010-2013
Wrote and edited Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Astronomy, Mathematics, and Visual Arts questions for
the Minnesota Undergraduate Tournament (2011-2013), Minnesota Open Tournament (2012), Academic Competition
Federation’s Fall Tournament (2011). Head editor of the Minnesota High School Novice Tournament (2011).
-Freelance writer for National Academic Quiz Tournaments (NAQT): 2011-2013
-Elected “Provisional Member” of the Academic Competition Federation: 2012-present.
-Intern at the Friends of Snakes Society, Hyderabad, India: Summer 2006.
Daily care of snakes and general maintenance, assisted in rescue and rehabilitation of snakes.