Education:
Ph.D. / Duke University / 2021
Biology, Science & Society
A.B. / Ripon College / 2015
Chemistry-Biology, Latin - Cum Laude
Academic Positions:
University of Wisconsin-Madison (Madison, WI)
Postdoctoral Fellow in Biology, National Science Foundation (2023 - Present)
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Center for Limnology - NTL LTER (2021 - 2023)
Awards and Honors:
National Geographic Explorer - American Keystones: January 2026 - Present
National Science Foundation (NSF) Postdoctoral Research Fellowship: 2023 – Present
Race and the Professions Fellowship (Duke University): 2020 – 2021
2019 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring (Duke University): Spring 2019
AAAS/Science Program for Excellence in Science: 2018 – 2019
Nominee for the Michelle P. Winn Inclusive Excellence Award: Spring 2018
National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellow: 2017 – 2021
Duke University BioCoRE Scholar: 2015 – 2021
Ripon College McNair Scholar: 2013 – 2015
Publications:
Allen, R.L., S. Quale, C. Hockings, PhIN Collective, and G.A. Gerrish. 2026. A 100-Year Bloom of indigenous Limnology and Reconnection to Land through Field Stations. American Indian Culture and Research Journal 49(1) 49-77.
Allen, R.L. 2025. Academic training took me away from my Indigenous homeland—but I found my way back. Science 389(6759) 542.
Allen, R.L., A.N. George, E. Miranda, T.M. Phillips, J.M Crawford, D.P. Kiehart, and D.R. McClay. 2022. Wound repair in sea urchin larvae involves pigment cells and blastocoelar cells. Developmental Biology 491 56-65.
Simha, Anita; Allen, Raymond; Carley, Lauren N. (2021): Introduction to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-racism in Biology Syllabus. figshare. Online resource. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.13611287
Tornini, V.A., J.D. Thompson, R.L. Allen, and K.D. Poss. 2017. Live fate-mapping of joint-associated fibroblasts visualizes expansion of cell contributions during zebrafish fin regeneration. Development 144 2889-2895.
Allen, R.L., R.L. Wallace, and B.E. Sisson. 2016. A rotifer based technique to rear zebrafish larvae in small academic settings. Zebrafish 13(4) 281-286.
Teaching:
University of Wisconsin-Madison
UW Marine Biology in the Florida Keys [Winter 2024 & Winter 2025] - Co-instructor
Duke University
Introduction to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-Racism (IDEA) in Biology [Spring 2021] - Graduate instructor
Animal Models of Neurodegenerative Diseases [Fall 2020] - Graduate TA
Pre-doctoral research:
Biology Department - Duke University, Durham, NC - 2015 – 2021
Dissertation Advisor: David McClay, Ph.D
Dissertation topic – Investigating the Immune System and Colonialism in Sea Urchins
Biology Minor Advisor: Jory Weintraub, Ph.D
Topic – Science & Society
Graduate Program Lab Work Duke University, Durham, NC - Fall 2015-Spring 2016
Rotation PI: David McClay, Ph.D
Topic – Immune cell markers and candidate gene interactions in the sea urchin
Rotation PI: Debra Silver, Ph.D
Topic – Dehosing the basal endfeet: FMRP in radial glial cells of the embryonic mouse
Rotation PI: Kenneth Poss, Ph.D
Topic – Exploring tph1b positive cells in regenerating zebrafish fins
NSF REU - University of Chicago, Chicago, Il - Summer 2014
● PI: Edwin Munro, Ph.D
● Topic – The role of VAB-1, NCK-1, and WSP-1 in CHIN-1’s localization and clustering in the C. elegans zygote
McNair Scholars Program - Ripon College, Ripon, WI - Summer 2013
● PI: Dr. Barbara Sisson, Ph.D
● Topic – Changes in Rotifer Salinity May Lead to Increased Zebrafish Growth
Specialized Coursework and Certifications:
Scientific Writing Retreat Course (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory; Class of 2025)
Biology of Parasitism: Modern Approaches (Marine Biological Laboratory; Class of 2025)
Indigenous Technoscience Microcredential Series (University of Alberta-Faculty of Native Studies)
CITI Program: Human Subjects Research and UW Human Subjects Protections Course
Wisconsin Boating Safety Education Certification
Ojibwemowin 1 & 2 (Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University)
Graphic Design for Biologists (Duke University)
Online Teaching (Duke University Summer Academy)
Introduction to Technology Policy & Ethics (Duke University)
Gene Regulatory Networks for Development (Marine Biological Laboratory; Class of 2016)