University of North Texas 
Meet Dr. Maddy Hannappel, a UNT alumna who is now working as a postdoctoral researcher at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco with funding from a National Science Foundation Fellowship. Building on the interests and skills she developed while working on her Ph.D. in biology at UNT, Dr. Hannappel’s current research focuses on using spiders to monitor contamination in the environment.
“I am currently developing methods for studying spiders in the lab. My goal is to
assess contaminant accumulation and sub-lethal effects on spiders,” she said. Dr.
Hannappel was originally inspired to study spiders as an undergraduate at Texas Christian
University in Fort Worth.
While at UNT, Dr. Hannappel also gained experience as a teaching assistant, which she cites as crucial to her professional development, improving her public speaking and science communication skills. She also mentioned the excellent mentorship she received from mentors in the biological sciences department, including her faculty advisor, Dr. Jim Kennedy.
“Many faculty and staff provided excellent mentorship to me while I was at UNT,” she said. “I could always find a professor or other staff member to provide guidance when I needed it. Not only did I receive excellent scientific mentorship, which helped me develop as a scientist and complete my projects, but some of the most valuable support was outside of science – when mentors helped me become a better person overall.”
While working on her doctoral studies, Dr. Hannappel was the recipient of the Bill Glaze Fellowship, made possible by Terry and Paula Brewer of Brewer Science, which supports graduate research in the environmental sciences at UNT.
“Receiving the Bill Glaze fellowship was critical to my success and completing my PhD,” said Dr. Hannappel. “The fellowship allowed me to be financially secure in the last summer of my doctoral work and I was able to focus on writing my dissertation. The fellowship also provided research funds that helped me finish my project.”
Dr. Hannappel’s fondest memories of her time at UNT were from field trips for her Entomology classes. “These immersive outdoor experiences not only helped me learn in a hands-on environment, but they also showed me the type of teacher I wanted to be and the experiences I would like to provide to students one day,” she shared.
In her free time, Dr. Hannappel enjoys riding her bike and looking for spiders and bugs, posting her findings on her social media. Her recommendation to students curious about getting into research is to get started as soon as possible:
“Research isn’t for everyone, and it is important to learn through experiences what you do and don’t like,” she said. “Having research experience is important for graduate school applications and provides opportunities to start developing research and scientific communication skills.”
The College of Science loves to hear from our alumni about their career success and the impact they continue to make in the world! COS alumni are invited to let us know what they’re up to now by filling out our Alumni Survey or contacting our Senior Development Director Melanie Hanna to discuss ways to further their engagement with the University of North Texas.