Welcome to my website!
I am Gen-Chang Hsu, a young seedling ecologist ready to stretch out my shoots and roots!
I sprouted my interests in biology back in high school, during which I participated in the 2014 International Biology Olympiad and was awarded a gold medal. Fascinated by the exquisite relationships between organisms and the environment, ecology stands out as my favorite field of biology and I have since developed board interests in a wide range of ecological topics. I am also passionate about data science and visualization. Check out my Research page for more information.
I obtained my undergraduate degree from the Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University. My Bachelor’s thesis, advised by Dr. Chuan-Kai Ho, focused on using stable isotopes to examine arthropod predator-prey trophic interactions in rice agro-ecosystems. I then worked as a research assistant in Dr. Po-Ju Ke’s lab studying the temporal decay trajectory of plant-soil microbe interactions. We combined greenhouse experiments and microbial analysis to explore how conditioning history affects soil microbial communities and in turn influences seedling performance and vegetation dynamics.
Currently, I am a PhD student with Dr. Jennifer Thaler at Cornell University. Broadly speaking, my work focuses on the thermal ecology of plant-herbivore-predator tri-trophic interactions, using the host plant potato (Solanum tuberosum), the insect herbivore the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata), and the generalist predator spined-soldier bug (Podisus maculiventris) as the model system. One of my projects looks at how temperature mediates beetle trait responses to predation risk and the associated fitness consequences. I’m also studying how predation risk and temperature influence beetle phenology, and how phenological shifts impact fitness and population dynamics. By addressing basic ecological questions about how plants, insect herbivores, and predators interact with each other, I hope my research can help understand how species interactions may respond to future environmental changes as well as develop strategies to enhance pest management in agro-ecosystems.
In my free time, I enjoy cycling, hiking, photography, and coding. Traveling around this n-dimensional world is my lifetime goal!
Education
Doctor of Philosophy (2023–Present), Department of Entomology, Cornell University.
Bachelor of Science (2015–2021), Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University.
Visiting student (2019–2020), Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley.