Mackenzie Grover

Mackenzie Grover is a 2025-2029 Self Graduate Fellow pursuing a Ph.D. in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at the University of Kansas (KU), researching the endoparasite communities of mammals. Mackenzie completed her B.S. in Biology at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point (2018). Following a passion for ecology and endoparasite-host dynamics, she earned an M.S. at Northern Michigan University (2023) investigating environmental factors influencing cestode evolution in Asia. Her current research leverages the vast specimen archives at the KU Biodiversity Institute & Natural History Museum to understand how parasite communities shape the ecology of their hosts. She aims to 1) characterize helminth diversity across host trophic levels and 2) identify molecular, immunological, structural, and transmission dynamics that drive host specificity and pathology. Overall, Mackenzie aims to increase awareness and appreciation of the importance of parasites in ecological systems. After graduate school, she will pursue a career in museum curation of parasites to continue building critical biological infrastructure necessary to study the diversity, dynamics, and significance of parasite communities in ecology. 

Mentor: Jocelyn Colella, Ph.D. Curator - Mammalogy, KU Natural History Museum.