Wenfei Tong

Education:

2005	A.B. summa cum laude Princeton University. Major: Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Visiting undergraduate at Worcester College, University of Oxford, 2004.

Research interests:

Evolution encompasses most of my interests. I enjoy trying to explain cooperation, conflict, coevolution, culture and cognition (especially consciousness) from the viewpoint of Dawkins' "selfish replicators". The evolution of evolutionary biology is another of my favourite subjects.

My undergraduate thesis attempted to understand the importance of kinship in zebra societies by looking for genetic patterns in populations, herds and harems.

At present, I am interested in experimental systems that will enable me to study coevolutionary arms races between and within species, social groups, sexes and individuals that cooperate in spite of conflicting genetic interests.

Teaching and service:

2006-2007	Non-resident tutor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Mather House, Harvard
2006	Reviewer for Behavioral Ecology
2006	Teaching fellow for Vertebrate Viviparity, Prof. David Haig
2006	Teaching fellow for Harvard Summer School courses on Darwin and Evolution, Dr. Andrew Berry & Prof. Naomi Pierce
2006	Harvard Museum of Natural History Trip Leader to Northern Tanzania
2005	Undergraduate teaching assistant for Natural History of Mammals, Prof. Jeanne Altmann, Princeton
2003-2005	Associate Editor for Journal of Young Investigators (sponsored by Science)
2000-2001	Relief Teacher (high school biology, chemistry, calculus), Singapore Chinese Girls’ School

Research experience:

2006	Biodiversity surveys of ant-acacia ecosystems in Kenya (with Dino Martins).
2005	Ant colony growth experiment to quantify fitness benefits to ants from tending Jalmenus evagoras caterpillar symbionts. (With Mark Cornwall and Prof. Naomi Pierce)
2004-05	Senior thesis (Supervisor: Prof. Daniel I. Rubenstein) “The Genetics of Plains Zebra Herds and Populations: Insights from Microsatellite Genotyping”
2004	Evolution of camelids and equids using ancient DNA, Department of Zoology, Oxford (With Prof. Alan Cooper, Dr. Beth Shapiro, Dr. Jacobo Weinstock) DNA extraction, primer design, PCR, sequencing, sequence alignment
2003	Summer research internship, University of Michigan (Prof. Barbara Smuts) Coding tapes of dog play and greeting behavior, developing ethograms
2001-03	Laboratory & Field Assistant, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton
2003	Behavioral experiments on spider mating strategies (Jennifer Maupin)
2002-03	Bird banding, radiotracking, behavioral observations (Thomas Knight)
2001-03	Fecal hormone extraction (Prof. Jeanne Altmann, Tatjana Good)
2001	Laboratory Assistant, National University Hospital, Singapore (Prof. Ng Soon Chye) Phase-contrast microscopy for macaque cloning experiments

Awards:

2005	Harvard University James Mills Pierce Fellowship
2005	Senior Book Prize for Highest Honors, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton
2005	Society of Sigma Xi
2004	Worcester College Visiting Student Commendation for Outstanding Academic Achievement, Oxford

Research grants:

2006	Harvard GSAS Graduate Student Council Summer Research Grant $1,000
2006	Putnam Expedition Award, Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology $4,000
2006	Goelet Award, Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology $1,000
2004	Becky Colvin '95 Field Research Award, Princeton University
2004	Princeton University Round Table Fund

Publications:

Tong W, Shapiro B, Rubenstein DI. (Submitted) On the genetic structure of plains zebra populations: Insights from noninvasive microsatellite genotyping. Molecular Ecology.

Tong W, Ng YF, Ng SC. (2002) Somatic cell nuclear transfer (cloning): implicaions for the medical practitioner. Singapore Medical Journal. 43(7): 369-376.

Weinstock J, Willerslev E, Sher A, Tong W, Ho SY, Rubenstein D, Stoprer J, Barnes J, Martin L, Brovi C, Preito A, Froese D, Scott E, Xulong L, & Cooper A. (2005) Evolution, systematics, and phylogeography of Pleistocene Horses in the New World: a molecular perspective. PLoS Biology 3(8): e241.

Tong W. (2005) On the genetic structure of plains zebra (Equus burchelli) populations and societies: Insights from noninvasive microsatellite genotyping. Senior thesis supervised by Prof. Daniel I. Rubenstein, Princeton University (Thesis No. 19328).