About

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Megan Copeland headshot

Ph.D. Candidate | Texas A&M University

I am a Biology Ph.D. candidate at Texas A&M University in the Blackmon Lab. My research focuses on genome evolution, including how genome structure and sex chromosomes change across species and how those changes shape genetic diversity.

Most of my work sits at the intersection of computational biology and clear communication. I build reproducible workflows for genome assembly quality control, repeat annotation, and comparative analyses, and I also spend a lot of time turning complex methods into documentation, figures, and writing that other people can actually use.

Outside of my research, I care a lot about teaching and mentorship. I have supported students through research projects, coding basics, and research communication, and I enjoy helping people feel confident working with data and biological questions.

Research

Current projects by stage

Published

Genome Assembly of the Southern Pine Beetle

Royal Society Open Science

Copeland M. et al. Chromosome-level genome assembly of Dendroctonus frontalis revealing the origins of gene content reduction in Dendroctonus.

DirectRepeatR: R Package for Annotating Direct Repeats

F1000Research

Copeland M., Barboza A., Romanowski J., Adelman Z., Blackmon H. Open-source R package for annotating direct repeats in genome assemblies.

Forensic Case Report for the Bonner County Coroner

University of Montana ScholarWorks · M.A. Thesis

Copeland M. A comprehensive forensic case report: case #20-100.

Under Review

Thyroid Regulation in Teleost Fish

Eales J.G., Copeland M., and MacKenzie D.S. Peripheral and central regulation of thyroid status in teleost fish with particular reference to salmonids and smoltification.

Trait Atomization in Line Cross Analyses

Burch J., Nava C., Copeland M., Blackmon H. Failures to atomize traits leads to systemic failure in line cross analyses.

In Preparation

Mating Systems & Chromosome Evolution in Angiosperms

Copeland M., Barboza A., Ugochukwu P., Blackmon H. Self-compatibility weakens barriers to karyotypic change and increases the rate of chromosome evolution in angiosperms.

Rates of Chromosome Number Evolution Across Eukaryotes

Copeland M. et al. Chromosome number evolves at rates spanning seven orders of magnitude across eukaryotes.

Experience

Professional and research positions

Research

Ph.D. Candidate & Research Assistant

2022 – Present

Blackmon Lab, Texas A&M University

Lead large-scale genomics and bioinformatics research on the evolution of genomic architecture. Develop computational pipelines for genome assembly, annotation, and comparative analyses across diverse species.

Forensic Casework Analyst

2021

University of Montana Forensic Anthropology Lab, Missoula, MT

Conducted anthropological analysis of human remains in collaboration with the Montana State Crime Lab. Developed biological profiles, produced formal case reports, and assisted with remains recovery and forensic DNA sampling.

Intern, Operation Identification

Spring 2020

Texas State University, San Marcos, TX

Supported identification and repatriation of unidentified human remains. Performed skeletal processing, photography, and preliminary analyses.

Scientific Writing & Publishing

Copy Editor

2026 – Present

Journal of Emerging Investigators

Edit and review submitted manuscripts for clarity, grammar, and scientific accuracy. Collaborate with authors and editorial staff to improve the quality and accessibility of research articles.

Peer Reviewer

2025 – Present

GSA Peer Review Training Program (G3 & Genetics)

Review research articles and genome reports for the Genetics Society of America journals. Provide constructive, actionable feedback following structured peer review best practices.

Invited Speaker & Workshop Leader

2023 – 2026

Texas A&M University

Delivered invited talks on research communication and poster design. Led and co-hosted coding workshops on data visualization in R, including circos plots and introduction to plotting in RStudio.

CV

Education, skills, and awards ยท View full CV

Education

Ph.D., Biology

2022 – 2026 (expected May)

Texas A&M University, College Station, TX

Advisor: Dr. Heath Blackmon

M.A., Anthropology

2020 - 2021

University of Montana, Missoula, MT

Advisor: Dr. Randall Skelton

B.S., Anthropology; B.A., English

2016 - 2020

Texas State University, San Marcos, TX

Skills

  • Programming: R, Shiny, Linux/Unix, Git/GitHub, Bash, conda, HPC cluster computing
  • Genomics: minimap2, bwa, samtools, SeqKit, BLAST, GATK; FastQC, BUSCO, QUAST, TrimGalore
  • Genetics & phylogenetics: genome structure evolution, sex chromosome evolution; ancestral state reconstruction, gene trees
  • Data science: software development, data visualization, simulations, literature search, Bayesian statistics
  • Scientific writing: peer review, copy editing, literature synthesis, revision tracking, Editorial Manager, ScholarOne
  • Strengths: project management, multi-disciplinary collaboration, written and oral communication, mentorship

Awards

  • Ethel Ashworth-Tsutsui Memorial Award for Mentoring - $500 (2025)
  • U.S. Senator Phil Gramm Doctoral Award - $5,000 (2025)
  • 1st place graduate student oral presentation award - Texas Genetics Society Conference (2025)
  • College of Arts and Sciences Student Research, Travel, and Professional Development Award (TAMU) - $2,000 (2024)
  • 1st place graduate student poster presentation - TAMU Ecological Integration Symposium (2023)

Teaching & Mentorship

Building skills and confidence in the next generation of scientists

Research Mentorship

I have mentored six undergraduate students on independent research projects spanning R programming, genome assembly, chromosome evolution, and scientific communication. In 2025 I received the Ethel Ashworth-Tsutsui Memorial Award for Mentoring.

  • Kenzie Laird – Introduction to R, experimental design, scientific communication
  • Meghann McConnell – Ancestral condition test R package, scientific communication
  • Philip Ugochukwu – Chromosome number evolution in plants
  • Elexys Peoples – Genome assembly of the North American giant stag beetle
  • Rachel Koehl – Direct repeat characterization across insect orders
  • Tyana Rogers – R package for annotating retrogenes in genomes

Teaching

Teaching Assistant

2022 – 2025

Department of Biology, Texas A&M University

  • Experimental Design (Ph.D. course) – Fall 2023
  • Introductory Biology I – Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024
  • Introductory Biology II – Spring 2023, Spring 2025, Fall 2025

Microteaching Mentor

Fall 2025

Department of Biology, Texas A&M University

Mentored incoming TAs on teaching the Introductory Biology 111 course.

Contact

Contact me

Location

College Station, TX

Email

megancopeland146@gmail.com

Website

megan-copeland.github.io

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