PhD Student
(fall 2017 – 2022)
Animal Behavior Graduate Group
Currently: Assistant Professor, NCSU
While in the Makagon Lab
Allison’s research addressed developmental questions about the role of early housing experience on keel bone fracture risk, space use, spatial abilities and brain development in laying hens. Her work examined whether providing hens with spatially complex environments during rearing may reduce their risk for developing keel bone fractures by preparing them to successfully navigate their adult housing environments (furnished cage and aviary systems). Her research contributions resulted in 4 publications (Pullin et al., 2020; Rufener et al., 2021; Pullin et al., 2022; Jones et al, 2023) with additional manuscripts forthcoming.
During her time in the lab, Allison is the recipient of four scholarships from the Western Poultry Scholarship and Research Foundation (2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021), and has successfully competed twice (2018, 2020) for the Henry A. Jastro Research Award through the Animal Behavior Graduate Group, UC Davis. She has received a Hart, Cole, Goss Fellowship (2019), a Rosenburg Graduate Student Researcher Award (2018), and an Ursula Abbott Travel Award (2018) from the Department of Animal Science, UC Davis. She has also been awarded a conference travel award from UC Davis Graduate Studies (2021). She has been honored with the Western Poultry Scholarship and Research Foundation Graduate Student Poster Presentation Award (2018), and the Certificate of Excellence for the oral presentation she gave at the International Poultry Science Forum (2022). Her research poster tied for 1st place at the Egg Industry Research Symposium (2022). To help fund her final year of research, Allison received the UCD Graduate Research Award for Continuing Students, which she turned down after also receiving the prestigious Austin Eugene Lyons Fellowship from UC Davis.
Where is she now?
Upon completing her PhD, Allison started her own research lab as Assistant Professor at North Carolina State University.
Fun fact: When not working on research, as a PhD student Allison spent her time connecting to her West Virginia roots by learning how to play the banjo! One of her goals was to learn a song called “Cluck Old Hen”.