Curriculum Vitae
Amy Lynn Toth
Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology
Iowa State University
253 Bessey Hall
Ames, IA 50011
Office phone: (515)-294-3121, Cell phone: (515)-509-8482
Email address: amytoth@iastate.edu
Website: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~amytoth/Toth_lab/Home.html
EDUCATION
Ph.D, Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, December 2006
B.A. (Biology major); Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY, May 2000
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University,
August 2010-present
USDA Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, Uncovering conserved
molecular pathways for social insect reproduction and social behavior, advisor Christina M. Grozinger, August
2008-August 2010
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Entomology and Institute for Genomic Biology, University of
Illinois, Genomic analyses of insect social behavior, advisor Gene E. Robinson, January 2007-July 2008
ADDITIONAL TRAINING
Molecular Biology Workshop, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Illinois, 2003
Organization for Tropical Studies, Tropical Biology Course 2001-01
OTHER RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Field Research Assistant, University of Illinois, Honey bee division of labor, 2000
Senior Research Project and Thesis, Bard College, Salamander population biology and social behavior, 1999-2000
Konza Prairie/ Kansas State University, NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program, Lizard foraging
behavior ,1999
Field Research Assistant, Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Pollination biology and plant-animal interactions,
1998
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TEACHING AND MENTORING EXPERIENCE
Postdoctoral mentor to Susan Weiner, Iowa State University, 2011-present
Co-advisor for doctoral student Ali Berens, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Graduate Program, Iowa
State University, 2011-present
Mentor for two Rotation Students (Ali Berens and Srihari Radhakrishnan), Bioinformatics and Computational
Biology Graduate Program, Iowa State University, 2011
Supervisor of seventeen research assistants: two high school students, fourteen undergraduates, and two
graduates, University of Illinois, Pennsylvania State University, and Iowa State University, 2001-present
Member of Program of Study (graduate thesis) committee for four students, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (John
Delaney and Antonio Cordero), Entomology (Michael Rausch) and Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
(Hsien-chao Chou), Iowa State University, 2011-present
Mentor for student research project with Ames High School partnership program, Iowa State University, 2010present
Co-mentor (with Christina Grozinger) for Undergraduate Thesis Research project, Pennsylvania State University,
2009-2010
Co-mentor (with Gene Robinson) for Undergraduate Senior Honors Thesis (student awarded High Distinction),
University of Illinois, 2008-2009
Co-mentor (with Gene Robinson) for Undergraduate Research Project, NSF Research Experiences for
Undergraduates Program, University of Illinois, 2007-2008
Guest Lectures for Advanced Animal Behavior class, Iowa State University, 2011
Guest Lectures for graduate seminar Evolution in Insect Societies, Penn State University, 2010
Guest Lectures for Introduction to Entomology, Animal Behavior, Insects & People, and Genes & Behavior classes,
University of Illinois, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008
Teaching Assistant, University of Illinois, Integrative Biology 429 Animal Behavior, 2005
Mentor for Hughes Undergraduate Research Fellowship student, University of Illinois, 2003
Graduate Administrator, NSF Undergraduate Mentoring in Environmental Biology Program, University of Illinois,
2002
Teaching Assistant, University of Illinois, Biology 120 Genetics, Evolution, and Biodiversity, 2001-2002
Instructor, University of Illinois, Bees and Beekeeping Short Course, yearly 2000-2003
Laboratory Teaching Assistant, Bard College, Biology 102 Ecology and Organismal Biology, 1999
PUBLICATIONS
In preparation:
20. Toth, A.L., Tooker, J.T., Menard, R., Woodard, S.H., and Grozinger, C.M. In preparation. Chemical and
transcriptomic signatures of dominance in Polistes metricus wasps.
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19. Toth, A.L. and Grozinger, C.M. In preparation. Shared sets of genes are associated with aggression in social
and solitary insect species.
18. Ament, S.A., Blatti, C., Alaux, C., Wheeler, M.M., Toth, A.L., LeConte, Y., Hunt, G.J., Guzmán-Novoa, E.,
DeGrandi-Hoffman, G., Uribe-Rubio, J.L., Amdam, G.V., Page, R.E., Rodriguez-Zas, S.L., Robinson, G.E., and Sinha,
S. In preparation. Meta-analysis of brain gene expression reveals shared cis-regulatory mechanisms for different
behavior maturation factors.
17. Daugherty, T.H.F., Toth, A.L., and Robinson, G.E. Nutrition and division of labor: Effects on foraging and brain
gene expression in the paper wasp Polistes metricus. Molecular Ecology, resubmitted.
Published:
16. Henshaw, M.T., Toth, A.L. Young, T.J. In press. Development of new microsatellite loci for the genus Polistes
from publically available expressed sequence tag (EST) sequences. Insects Sociaux.
15. Singh, R., Levitt, A.L., Rajotte, E.G., Holmes, E.C., Ostiguy, N., vanEngelsdorp, D., Lipkin, W.I., dePamphilis,
C.W., Toth, A.L., and Cox-Foster, D.L. 2010. RNA viruses in hymenopteran pollinators: evidence of inter-taxa
virus transmission via pollen and potential impact on non-Apis hymenopteran species. PLoS ONE 5: e14357.
14. Toth, A.L. 2010. Integrating Evolution, Development, and Behavior. Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior. Breed,
M. D. & Moore, J., eds. In Evolution of Behavior, Joan Herbers, section editor. Academic Press, Oxford.
13. Hunt, J.H., Wolschin, F., Mutti, N., Henshaw, M.T., Newman, T.C., Toth, A.L. and Amdam, G.V. 2010.
Differential gene expression and protein abundance evince ontogenetic bias toward castes in a primitively social
wasp. PLoS ONE, 5:e10674.
12. Toth, A.L., Varala, K., Henshaw, M.T., Rodriguez-Zas, S.L., Hudson, M.E. and Robinson, G.E. 2010. Brain
transcriptomic analysis in paper wasps identifies genes associated with division of labor across social insect
lineages. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 277:2139-2148.
11. Toth, A.L. and Robinson, G.E. 2010. Evo-devo and the evolution of social behavior: Brain gene expression
analyses in social insects. Cold Spring Harbor Symposium on Quantitative Biology, LXXIV: 1-9.
10. Toth, A.L., Bilof, K.J. Henshaw, M.T., Hunt, J.H., and Robinson, G.E. 2009. Lipid stores, ovary development,
and gene expression in Polistes metricus females. Insectes Sociaux. 56:77-84.
9. Toth, A.L. 2008. Book review: Integrating Evolution and Development: from Theory to Practice. American
Journal of Human Biology, I20:739-740.
8. Smith, C.R.*, Toth, A.L.*, Suarez, A.V., and Robinson, G.E. 2008. Genetic and genomic analyses of the division
of labour in insect societies. Nature Reviews Genetics, 9:735-748. * these authors contributed equally
7. Toth, A.L., Varala, K., Newman, T.C., Miguez, F.E., Hutchison, S., Willoughby, D., Simons, J.F., Egholm, M.,
Hunt, J.H., Hudson, M.E., and Robinson, G.E. 2007. Wasp gene expression supports an evolutionary link between
maternal behavior and eusociality. Science, 318: 441-444. (cited in “Faculty of 1000 Biology”
http://www.f1000biology.com/article/id/1091542)
6. Toth, A.L. and Robinson, G.E. 2007. Evo-devo and the evolution of social behavior. Trends in Genetics, 23: 334341.
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5. Honey bee Genome Sequencing Consortium. 2006. Insights into social insects from the genome of the
honeybee Apis mellifera. Nature, 443: 931-948.
4. Kunieda, T.*, Fujiyuki, T.*, Kucharski, R.*, Foret S.*, Ament, S.*, Toth, A.L*, Ohashi, K.,Takeuchi, H.
Kamikouchi, A., Kage, E., Morioka, M., Beye, M., Kubo, T., Robinson, G.E., & Maleszka, R. 2006. Carbohydrate
metabolism genes and pathways in insects: insights from the honey bee genome. Insect Molecular Biology, 15:
563-576. * these authors contributed equally
3. Toth, A.L., Kantarovich, S., Meisel, A.F. & Robinson, G.E. 2005. Nutritional status influences socially-regulated
foraging ontogeny in honey bees. Journal of Experimental Biology, 208: 4641-4649.
2. Toth, A.L. & Robinson, G.E. Nutrition and division of labor in honey bees. 2005. Animal Behaviour, 69: 427435. (cited in “Faculty of 1000 Biology”. http://www.f1000biology.com/article/nonpub138048/evaluation)
1. Leoncini, I., Le Conte, Y., Costagliola, G., Plettner, E., Toth, A.L., Wang, M., Huang, Z., Bécard J-M, Crauser, D.,
Slessor, K.N. & Robinson, G.E. 2004. Regulation of behavioral maturation in honey bees by a primer pheromone,
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 101: 17559-17564.
RESEARCH AND TRAVEL GRANTS
External:
Current: NSF Evolution of Developmental Systems, “DNA Methylation and the Evolution of Social Insect Castes”
(Toth, PI), 2011-2013, $325,000
Current: NSF EDEN (Evo-Devo-Eco-Network) Exchange Program, “RNA interference in social wasps: a critical tool
for dissecting gene-behavior relationships”, (with Navdeep Mutti), 2011-2012, $3,000
Pending: Australian Research Council, “From solitary to eusocial: Comparative genomics of the very early stages
of eusociality”, (Toth, co-PI, Michael Schwarz, PI, Michael Gardner, co-PI), 2012-2015, $427,548, Toth portion
$96,239
USDA-NRI (National Research Initiatives) Postdoctoral Fellowship, “Using comparative genomics to uncover
conserved mechanisms for insect reproduction and social behavior”, (Toth, PI) 2008-2010, $125,000
International Union for the Study of Social Insects Travel Grant, 2006, $600
NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant, 2004-2005, $10,000
Post-Course Research Grant, Organization for Tropical Studies, 2001, $2000
Internal:
Current: Center for Integrated Animal Genomics Competitive Research Grant, Iowa State University, “The social
wasp genome project: de novo sequencing of a key species in ecology and evolution”, (Toth, PI, Xiaoqiu Huang,
co-PI), 2010, $21,000
Current: University of North Carolina, Charlotte Internal Funds, “Molecular Basis for Ritualized Aggression and
the Evolution of the Vibration Signal of the Honey Bee, Apis mellifera”, (Toth, co-PI, Stan Schneider, PI), $6,000
Program in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Summer Research Grant, University of Illinois, 2004, $500
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Francis M. & Harlie M. Clark Research Support Grant, University of Illinois, 2002, $1000
Program in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Travel Grant, University of Illinois, 2004, $700
Francis M. & Harlie M. Clark Research Support Grant, University of Illinois, 2004, $1000
Program in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Travel Grant, University of Illinois, 2003, $150
Francis M. & Harlie M. Clark Research Support Grant, University of Illinois, 2003, $750
University of Illinois Research Board Grant for Research Assistantship, 2002-2003, $16,000
Program in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Summer Research Grant, University of Illinois, 2002, $1000
Program in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Travel Grant, University of Illinois, 2002, $100
Graduate College Travel Grant, University of Illinois, 2002, $300
PRESENTATIONS AT SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCES
Entomological Society of America, Symposium Speaker, San Diego, CA, 2010
International Union for the Study of Social Insects, International Congress, Symposium Speaker, Copenhagen,
Denmark, 2010
International Conference on Pollinator Biology, Health, and Policy, Oral Presentation, Penn State University,
University Park, PA, 2010
Center for Behavioral Neurobiology, Poster Presentation, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, 2010
Gordon Conference on Genes and Behavior, Poster Presentation, Ventura, CA 2010
Entomological Society of America, Symposium Speaker, Indianapolis, IN, 2009
Cold Spring Harbor 74th Symposium on Quantitative Biology “Evolution: the Molecular Landscape”, Poster
Presentation, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, 2009
Center for Chemical Ecology/ Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology Minisymposium, Oral Presentation,
University Park, PA, 2009
International Congress of Entomology, Invited Oral Presentation, Durban, South Africa, 2008
Behavioral Ecology of Parasitoids Workshop, Keynote Lecture, Edinburgh, Scotland, 2008
Cold Spring Harbor Workshop on Honey Bee Genomics and Biology, Oral Presentation, Cold Spring Harbor, NY,
2007
Institute for Genomic Biology Fellows’ Symposium, Poster Presentation, Urbana, IL, 2007
Entomological Society of America, Invited Oral Presentation, Indianapolis, IN, 2006
International Union for the Study of Social Insects, International Congress, Invited Oral Presentation, Washington,
DC, 2006
Gordon Conference on Genes and Behavior, Poster Presentation, Ventura, CA, 2006
Gordon Conference on Neuroethology, Poster Presentation, Oxford, England, 2005
Graduates in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Symposium, Poster Presentation, University of Illinois, 2005
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International Union for the Study of Social Insects, North American Section Meeting, Oral Presentation, Ft.
Tontozona, AZ, 2004
International Congress of Entomology, Invited Oral Presentation, Brisbane, Australia, 2004
Graduates in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Symposium, Oral Presentation, University of Illinois, 2002 & 2004
Entomological Society of America, Oral Presentation, Cincinnati, OH, 2003
Animal Behavior Society, Poster Presentation, Bloomington, IN, 2002
Entomological Society of America, Oral Presentation, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 2002
INVITED SEMINARS
Texas A&M University, Department of Entomology, 2011
Iowa State University, Department of Entomology Seminar, 2011
Universidade Estadual Paulista (Sao Jose do Rio Preto, Brazil), Department of Zoology and Botany, 2011
Iowa State University, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program Seminar, 2010
Iowa State University, Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology Departmental Seminar, 2010
Georgia Institute of Technology, Biology Department Informal Seminar, 2010
Emory University, Neurobiology Program “Frontiers” Seminar Series, 2010
Pennsylvania State University, Department of Entomology Seminar, 2009
University of Oregon, Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Seminar, 2009
University of Michigan, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Seminar, 2009
North Carolina State University, Department of Biology Seminar, 2009
University of Texas at Austin, Section of Integrative Biology Seminar, 2008.
North Carolina State University, Department of Entomology Research Seminar, 2007
The Ohio State University, Department of Entomology Seminar Series, 2007
University of Illinois, Illinois Natural History Survey Seminar Series, 2007
SYNERGISTIC ACTIVITIES
Member of University Child Care Committee, Iowa State University, 2010- present
Member of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology Social Committee, Iowa State University, 2010-present
Participant in catalysis group on evolution of eusociality at NESCent (National Evolutionary Synthesis Center), 2010
Discussion leader for symposium on “Gene Behavior Studies in Natural Populations”, Gordon Conference on Genes
and Behavior, 2010
Peer reviewer for 20 journals (Animal Behaviour, Journal of Apicultural Research, Insectes Sociaux, Ethology,
Annales Zoologici Fennici, Insect Molecular Biology, Molecular Biology and Evolution, Molecular Ecology, Journal of
Insect Science, Hormones and Behavior, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Evolution, Gene, Behavioral Ecology and
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Sociobiology, Naturwissenschaften, Integrative and Comparative Biology, Journal of Experimental Biology, Cell and
Tissue Research, Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, Journal of Heredity)
Peer reviewer of grant proposals for NSF, USDA, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
Member of pilot group for testing BeeSpace online research database, University of Illinois, 2006-2010
Coordinator of student group reading Darwin’s Origin of Species, 2006
Co-President, Graduates in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Registered Student Organization, 2005-2006
ACADEMIC HONORS
External:
Runner Up, International Union for the Study of Social Insects, George Eickwort Student Award, 2007
P.E.O. Scholar Award; International Chapter of the P.E.O. Sisterhood ($10,000 for research), 2004
Entomological Society of America President’s Prize for the Student Competition First Place, 10-Minute Oral
Presentation, Section Cb/Cc, 2003
Entomological Society of America President’s Prize for the Student Competition First Place, 10-Minute Oral
Presentation, Section Cb/Cc, 2002
Honorable Mention; NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Competition, 2002
Animal Behavior Society Founder’s Poster Award, 2002
Internal:
Institute for Genomic Biology Fellows’ Symposium, Post-doctoral Poster Award, 2007
Procter and Gamble Doctoral Student Research Award, University of Illinois, 2006
Emerson Award for Outstanding Student in the School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, 2006
University Fellowship from Graduate College, University of Illinois, 2005
Edwin M. Banks Award for Outstanding Student in Animal Behavior, University of Illinois, 2005
Agricultural Genome Sciences and Public Policy Program Fellowship, University of Illinois, 2003, 2004 & 2005
Incomplete List of Teachers Rated Excellent by Students, University of Illinois, 2002 & 2003
Best Doctoral Presentation Award, Graduates in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Symposium 2002, University of
Illinois, 2002
John G. & Evelyn Hartman Heiligenstein Outstanding Teaching Assistant in Biology 120, University of Illinois, 2002
Program in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Graduate Fellowship, University of Illinois, 2000-2001
Excellence and Equal Cost Scholarship; Bard College, 1996-2000
Hudsonia Award in Environmental Science; Bard College, 1999
SCIENCE OUTREACH ACTIVITIES
Lecture on social insects for “Day of Insects” at Reiman Gardens/Iowa State University, 2011
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Nontechnical research presentation to undergraduate Biology Club, Iowa State University, 2010
Assisted with Honey Bees and Pollinators Exhibit, Great Insect Fair, Pennsylvania State University, 2009
Contributed to an exhibit on bee social behavior for the University of Illinois’ Pollinatarium, a museum to
educate the public about the importance of pollinators, 2008
Exhibit on bees for University of Illinois’ National Pollinator Week, 2008
Created an informational webpage on bee social behavior for inclusion in ”Beespotters”, a web interface for the
monitoring of bee populations in Illinois, 2008
“Evolution and Genetics in Bees” presentation to middle schoolers, BeeSpace Education Outreach, University of
Illinois, 2007
Nontechnical research presentation to Northern Illinois Beekeepers’ Association, 2005
After-School Bee Program for K-5 Students, Washington Elementary School, Champaign, IL, 2005
“Insects and Bees” presentation to 1st-5th graders, St. Mary’s School, Chicago, IL, 2004
“Bees and Wasps” exhibit at Orpheum Children’s Museum, Champaign, IL, 2004
Nontechnical research presentation to Indiana State Beekeepers’ Association, 2003
Nontechnical research presentation to Illinois State Beekeepers’ Association, 2002
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Animal Behavior Society, 2002-2003
Entomological Society of America, 2002- present
International Union for the Study of Social Insects, 2002- present
REFERENCES
1. Gene E. Robinson
Swanlund Chair
Interim Director, Institute for Genomic Biology
Department of Entomology
University of Illinois
505 S. Goodwin Ave.
Urbana, IL 61801
generobi@illinois.edu
(217)-265-0309
2. May R. Berenbaum
Professor and Head
Department of Entomology
University of Illinois
505 S. Goodwin Ave.
Urbana, IL 61801-3795
maybe@illinois.edu
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(217)-333-7784
3. James H. Hunt
Visiting Professor of Biology and Entomology
Department of Entomology
North Carolina State University
Campus Box 7613
Raleigh, NC 27695-7613
jim_hunt@ncsu.edu
(919)-513-2721
4. Christina M. Grozinger
Associate Professor, Department of Entomology
Director, Center for Pollinator Research
Center for Chemical Ecology
Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences
Pennsylvania State University
Chemical Ecology Lab 4A
University Park, PA 16802
cmgrozinger@psu.edu
(814)-865-2214
5. Andrew V. Suarez
Associate Professor
Departments of Entomology and Animal Biology
University of Illinois
505 S. Goodwin
Urbana, IL 61801-3795
avsuarez@life.uiuc.edu
(217)-244-6631
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