People
Karin van der Burg - Assistant professor in Biological Sciences
Assistant professor, Clemson University (2025 - )
NSF Postdoctoral fellow, Clemson University (2022-2024)
Banting Postdoctoral Fellow, UBC (2022)
PhD, Cornell (2020)
MSc, Leiden University (2013)
BSc, Leiden University (2010)
Broadly, I'm interested in physiological and genetic mechanisms that insects use to cope with seasonal changes in their environment. I integrate functional genomic techniques with population genetics and physiological processes to understand how multiple levels of biological organization work together to create a complex phenotype.
Learn more about my recent work on the research page, or see my cv!
When I’m not in the lab, I like nature walks, baking and making quilts.
Ayanika Das - Ph.D. Student
I’m a first-year graduate student in the Van der Burg Lab, working on phenotypic plasticity in butterflies. I got my Master’s in Biotechnology from the University of Hyderabad, India, and my Bachelor’s in Zoology from the University of Calcutta, India. Before moving to Clemson, I briefly worked in the Dog Lab at IISER Kolkata, where I studied the behavior of street dogs in India. When I’m not thinking about ecology, I’m probably cooking in my kitchen or practicing calligraphy!
A. Kevin Scott - Ph.D. Student
Hello, I am Kevin, one of the Ph.D. students in the Van der Burg Lab at Clemson. I joined in 2025 and will be investigating two phenotypes found within the Eastern Spruce Budworm. While in the Van der Burg Lab I hope to explore the genetic differences, and how these genes regulated, in diapausing and non-diapausing phenotypes of the Eastern Spruce Budworm. I hope to also more broadly help better understand how natural selection plays a role in these phenotypes.
Outside of Clemson I mainly spend my time with my wife and children exploring the general southeastern area of the US!
My Tra Ly – Laboratory Specialist
Laboratory Specialist, Clemson University (2025 – )
M.S. Entomology, University of Arkansas (2025)
B.Sc. Biotechnology, Vietnam National University of Agriculture (2018)
I’m interested in the ways plants and pollinators interact – from circadian rhythm in apple flowers to the molecular players that help plants and insects communicate. I have experience in laboratory and field settings in molecular biology, bioinformatics, and pollinator behavior. I like to connect those dots to understand how timing and environment influence ecological interactions.
Beyond science, I’m always up for chatting about pets, food, or travel—those conversations could go on for hours if you let them!