Current Laboratory Technicians

Tricia Rubi
Scorpion Molecular Lab Manager

Tricia Rubi






Tricia Rubi was born in Boulder, CO. She received undergraduate degrees from the University of Colorado in the fields of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, with an emphasis in neuroscience. While at CU, her research focused on the population genetics of Colorado-native cutthroat trout, notably the Greenback cutthroat (Oncorhynchus clarki stomias). During the summer of 2008 she worked for the Colorado Division of Wildlife continuing her honors research project, which utilized historic museum samples to examine the consequences of fish stocking by early settlers of Colorado. In October 2008 she received NSF funding to come to AMNH to work as lab manager and technician in Lorenzo Prendini’s lab. Her research will focus on sequencing and editing the DNA of sunspiders and scorpions.


Yili Lim
Scorpion Molecular Lab Technician

Yili Lim was born in Shanghai, China and moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico at the age of 6. She graduated from the University of Chicago in 2006 with a B.A. in Biology and specialization in Neuroscience. As an undergraduate, she conducted research on hydrocephalus using in vivo models and immunohistology methods. At AMNH she is a part-time research assistant in the Scorpion Molecular Systematics Lab and is sequencing a variety of scorpions from across the globe. She is also working and studying South American tropical forest ecology at Columbia University. Her other research interests include the ecology, evolution, and environmental models of deep-sea organisms.

Yili Lim



Former Laboratory Technicians

Rebecca Budinoff (2004), Diana Pietri (2003-2005), Tarang Sharma (2003-2004), Kenneth (Tripp) MacDonald (2005), Monica Mosier (2006), Ligia Benavides (2006-2007), Torsten Dikow (2007), Kanvaly Bamba (2007-2008), Allison Kerwin (2008), and Kaythi Han (2008) have all worked in the Molecular Systematics Laboratory of the Division of Invertebrate Zoology, AMNH. Budinoff and MacDonald worked for Associate Curator Lorenzo Prendini in 2004 and 2005, respectively, isolating, amplifying, and sequencing scorpion DNA for a grant from the Richard Lounsbery Foundation awarded jointly to Prendini and Associate Curator Mark Siddall. Pietri has worked for Prendini and Curator Ward Wheeler from 2003 to 2006, isolating, amplifying, and sequencing DNA from spiders, amblypygids, uropygids and schizomids for the NSF ATOL Phylogeny of Spiders grant. Benavides took over this position from 2006 to 2007 and Dikow from 2007 onwards. Sharma worked for Prendini in 2003 and 2004, isolating, amplifying, and sequencing scorpion DNA for various projects. Mosier worked for Prendini in 2006, isolating, amplifying, and sequencing scorpion DNA for the NSF REVSYS Vaejovidae grant. Bamba worked for Prendini in 2007, isolating, amplifying and sequencing scorpion DNA for the NSF BS&I Solifugae grant, and Kerwin and Han took over from Bamba in 2008. All assisted with the training of postdoctoral fellows, undergraduate and high school students, and scientists visiting the lab.


Rebecca, Diana, and Monica


Tripp, Torsten, and Tarang


Kanvaly, Ligia and AllisonKaythi