Megan L. Vandenberg
[email protected] | [email protected]
EDUCATION
2023 - Pres. University of Washington and Friday Harbor Laboratories
Ph.D. Candidate in the Summers Lab.
2018 - 2022 University of Washington, Seattle WA
B.S. Biology, 2022
PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
7. Megan L. Vandenberg, Alissa Perez, Adam P. Summers, Ed Habtour, Bart Boom. (2026, in review). Breaking the Surface: how plunge-divers keep their necks in one piece. Anatomical Record.
6. O.H.Hawkins, M.L. Vandenberg, C.M. Donatelli, K.M. Evans, E.D. Tytell. (2026, in review). Caudal fins and the habitats that shape them: Tails from a diverse clade of elongate fishes. BMC Ecology and Evolution.
5. Megan L. Vandenberg, Zach Heiple, Matthew A. Kolmann, Thaddaeus Buser, Adam P. Summers, Fernando Meléndez-Vazquez, Dahiana Arcila, Katherine P. Maslenikov, Luke Tornabene. (2026). Phylogenomics of poachers (Agonidae) and the evolution of armor in cottoid fishes (Perciformes: Cottoidei). Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution.
4. L. Martinez, M.L. Vandenberg, K.E. Cohen, A.P. Summers, C.M. Donatelli. (2026). Testing the Limits: Functional strengths and weaknesses of Poacher (Agonidae) Armour. Proceedings of the Royal Society Biology.
3. C.M. Donatelli, M.L. Vandenberg, L. Martinez, E.W.M. Paig-Tran, K.E. Cohen. (2025). The Bioinspiration Feedback Loop - Fostering a Continuous Exchange Between Biology and Engineering. Integrative and Comparative Biology.
2. Megan L. Vandenberg, Olivia H. Hawkins, Eric Chier, Shirel R. Kahane-Rapport, Adam P. Summers, Cassandra M. Donatelli. (2024). How rugose can you go? Spiny Agonidae armour decreases boundary layer separation. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society.
1. M.L. Vandenberg*, K.E. Cohen*, R.Rubin, J.A. Goldbogen, A.P. Summers, E.W.M Paig-Tran, S.R. Kahane-Rapport. (2023). Formation of a fringe: A look inside baleen morphology using a multimodal visual approach. Journal of Morphology, 284, e21574. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmor.21574 *Co-first authors
INVITED TALKS
Jan 2026 University of Washington, Department of Mechanical Engineering Seminar (Seattle, USA). Locked and loaded: biomechanics of fish armor.
FUNDING AND AWARDS
2026 Friday Harbor Laboratories Graubard Fellowship - $12,725
2026 UW Biology Riddiford-Truman Award for Physiology - $1,571
2026 UW Biology Friday Harbor Laboratories Award - $2,987
2026 Friday Harbor Laboratories Research Endowment Fellowship - $1,600
2025 UW Graduate School Conference Award - $500
2025 UW Biology Friday Harbor Laboratories Award - $5,000
2025 Friday Harbor Laboratories Research Endowment Fellowship - $3,200
2024 UW Biology WRF Hall Fellowship - Quarter of support & $1,159
2024 NSF GRFP Honorable Mention
2024 Frederic H. and Kirstin C. Nichols Endowed Graduate Fellowship - $3,484.92
2024 UW Biology Riddiford-Truman Award for Physiology - $4,373
2023 NSF GRFP Honorable Mention
2023 UW Hall International Recruitment Award - Spring 2024 Quarter of support
2023 Stephen and Ruth Wainwright Endowed Fellowship FHL - $2,400
2022 Katharina Casey Leadership Award - UW - $500
PRESENTATIONS
(U = Undergate student, H = High School student, * = co-first authors)
Upcoming:
2026 World Congress of Biomechanics (Vancouver, Canada)
M.L. Vandenberg, B. Boom, A.P. Summers, C.M. Donatelli. Kink in the armor: the mechanical properties of bony armor in Agonidae fishes.
2026 Society for Experimental Biology (Florence, Italy)
M.L. Vandenberg, A.P. Summers, C.M. Donatelli, B. Boom. From plates to performance: Damping effects of fish armor.
Past:
2026 Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (Portland, USA)
M.L. Vandenberg, Z. Heiple, M.A. Kolmann, T. Buser, A.P. Summers, F. Meléndez-Vazquez, D. Arcila, K.P. Maslenikov, C.M. Donatelli, L.Tornabene. The evolutionary history of poachers (Cottoidea: Agonidae) dermal armor form and function.
2025 Poetry and Science Symposium, Friday Harbor Laboratories (Friday Harbor, USA)
Meg Vandenberg. Fish Armor is cool.
2025 IEEE Soft Robotics Annual Meeting (Lausanne, Switzerland)
M.L.Vandenberg, B.Boom, O.H.Hawkins, A.P.Summers, C.M.Donatelli. Drag reducing agent for soft robots inspired by fish armor. (Poster and lightning talk)
2025 UW Biology Department Graduate Student Seminar (Seattle, USA)
M.L.Vandenberg, O.H.Hawkins, B.Boom, A.P.Summers, C.M.Donatelli. Simply the best; how armor morphologies reduce drag in poachers (Agonidae).
2025 Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (Austin, USA)
M.L.Vandenberg, O.H.Hawkins, B.Boom, A.P.Summers, C.M.Donatelli. Simply the best; how armor morphologies reduce drag in poachers (Agonidae).
2024 American Physical Society, Division of Fluid Dynamics (Salt Lake City, USA)
M.L.Vandenberg, B.A.R.Boom, O.H.Hawkins, A.P.Summers, C.M.Donatelli. Morphologically complex biological armor acts as drag reducing agents in benthic fishes.
2024 Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (Seattle, USA)
M.L.Vandenberg, O.H.Hawkins, E.ChierU, J.O.A.CervoneH, C.M.Donatelli, A.P.Summers. From Tip to Tail: A Story of Armor Diversity.
2023 Gilbert Ichthyology Society Annual Meeting (Olympia, USA)
M.L.Vandenberg, O.H.Hawkins, C.M.Donatelli, A.P.Summers. The effect of armor morphology on hydrodynamic performance.
2023 Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (Phoenix, USA)
M.L. Vandenberg, K.E. Cohen, A.P. Summers, E.W.M Paig-Tran, S.R. Kahane-Rapport. Bundles of bristles; a look inside baleen morphology using a multimodal visual approach. (Poster)
2022 Friday Harbor Laboratories Speaker (Friday Harbor, USA)
M.L. Vandenberg. Armored Poachers; It’s their strong suit. In-person and virtual meetings.
2022 Undergraduate Research Symposium - University of Washington (Seattle, WA)
M.L. Vandenberg, K.E. Cohen, A.P. Summers, E.W.M Paig-Tran, S.R. Kahane-Rapport. Variation in Baleen Morphology; From Cell to Structure.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
2026 OSYM workshop: Quantitative models in organismal biology
2026 PCM Workshop for Early Career Biomechanists
ACADEMIC SERVICE
2026 Manuscript reviewer for Integrative Organismal Biology
2025 Manuscript reviewer for Functional Ecology
2025-Pres. UW Biology Department Coordinating Committee
2025 Friday Harbor middle school Biology class field trip leader
2025 UW Biology Departmental Winter Awards Review Panel
2024 - 2025. UW Biology Research Committee
2024 Manuscript reviewer for IEEE Soft Robotics Journal
2024 Manuscript reviewer for Proceedings of the Royal Society Biological Sciences
2024 Salish Sea Sciences mentor and fieldwork leader
2024 SICB session chair
2024 SICB Safety Ally
2023 - Pres. Broadening Participation Committee FHL
2021 - Pres. Trained researchers how to micro-CT scan at FHL
2021 - Pres. Trained researchers how to SEM at FHL