Graduate program faculty

Looking to join a lab? Many of our faculty are looking for new students every year.
Please visit individual faculty websites to learn more about the research of EEB graduate faculty.

Faculty Research Focus Lab Website/Email

Frank Albert
 

Genomics, statistical and quantitative genetics, transcriptomics

Albert Lab

falbert@umn.edu

David Andow
 

Ecological risk assessment of biological stressors, such as invasive species and genetically engineered organisms. Insect resistance management, gene flow and its consequences, and non-target species effects. Science policy associated with GMOs. Ecology of natural enemy food webs in agricultural crops, including interactions involving predators, such as anthocorids, coccinnelids, chrysopids and parasitoids in maize. The use of vegetational diversity in the conservation of natural enemies.

dandow@umn.edu

F. Keith Barker
 

Avian phylogeny and genetics, evolution of social behavior, spatial and temporal patterns, molecular evolution

Barker Lab

barke042@umn.edu

Mark Bee
 

Acoustic communication, aggression, auditory perception, neurophysiology, auditory scene analysis, behavioral plasticity, honest signaling, neuroethology sexual selection, sound pattern recognition, sound localization, territoriality

Bee Lab

mbee@umn.edu

Elizabeth Borer
 

Nutrient network (NutNet), nitrogen deposition, global change, biodiversity, ecosystem function, plant disease ecology, grasslands

Borer website

borer@umn.edu

Mark Borrello

History of biology, evolutionary theory, genetics, ecology, biology of behavior, biology and society

borrello@umn.edu

Yaniv Brandvain
 

Grounded in theoretical and empirical population genomics, my group investigates plant evolution at micro and macroevolutionary scales. 

Lab website

ybrandva@umn.edu

Joseph Bump

Forest wildlife ecology, conservation, and management; animal ecology and ecosystem processes; climate change and predator-prey dynamics; aquatic-terrestrial links; carcass ecology, stable isotope ecology 

bump@umn.edu 

Jeannine Cavender-Bares
 

Physiological ecology,plant integration, phylogenetics, linking plant function, evolutionary history, environmental gradients, phylogeography, local adaptation, conservation

Cavender-Bares Lab

cavender@umn.edu

James B. Cotner

Biological limnology and oceanography, biogeochemistry, microbial ecology

cotne002@umn.edu

Meggan Craft
 

Infectious disease dynamics in animal populations.

Craft Lab
craft@umn.edu

James W. Curtsinger

Conservation biology; ecology, evolution, and behavior; gerontology

jwcurt@umn.edu

Antony M. Dean

Biochemistry; ecology, evolution and behavior; microbial engineering

deanx024@umn.edu

R. Ford Denison

Evolution of cooperation; agricultural implications of past and ongoing natural selection; life-history tradeoffs as a possible explanation for stress-induced longevity.

denis036@umn.edu

Jacques C. Finlay

My lab studies freshwater ecosystems and their interactions with surrounding landscapes.

Finlay Lab

jfinlay@umn.edu

James D. Forester
 

Animal movement ecology, quantitative landscape ecology.

Forester Lab

jdforest@umn.edu

David L. Fox

Paleobiology and paleoclimatology.

dlfox@umn.edu

Lee E. Frelich

 

freli001@umn.edu

Susan M. Galatowitsch

Ecological restoration of wetlands, rivers, lakeshores, prairies; land use impacts to wetland biodiversity; climate change adaptation.

Galatowitsch Group website

galat001@umn.edu

Paloma Gonzalez-Bellido

My laboratory works on visually guided predators. Predation is innate, robust, reproducible and crucial for survival. We focus on how predatory insects code motion information about their prey (target).

We employ high speed videography (in the field and in the laboratory), electrophysiology (intracellular and extracellular) and microscopy (light and electron). In addition, we collaborate with the laboratory of Hanchuan Peng (Allen Institute for Brain Science) in the development of new techniques for tracing neurons.

paloma@umn.edu

Jeff Gralnick

Physiology of Shewanella

Gralnick Lab

gralnick@umn.edu

Jessica Gutknecht
 

I study soil microbial community dynamics and how they inform our understanding of ecosystem functions such as carbon cycling and sustainability.

jgut@umn.edu

Gretchen Hansen

Climate change, long-term trends in fish populations, aquatic invasive species, food webs/community dynamics, landscape models of fish habitat, and adaptive management. 

Lab website

ghansen@umn.edu

William 
Harcombe

 

We do experimental evolutionary ecology of microbial systems.

Lab website

harcombe@umn.edu

George Heimpel
 

We study host-parasitoid interactions, usually in the context of biological control of invasive species; projects include conservation of Darwin's finches in the Galapagos Islands and biological control of agricultural pests and weeds in the United States.

Heimpel Lab

heimp001@umn.edu

Jessica 
Hellmann

 

Ecological effects of climate change and strategies for reducing climate-related risks in species and ecosystems. 

Lab website

hellmann@umn.edu

Sarah Hobbie

Ecosystem ecology,  carbon and nutrient cycling, decomposition, species effects on ecosystem processes, plant-soil interactions

Research website

shobbie@umn.edu

Forest Isbell

Anthropogenic drivers and ecosystem consequences of changes in biodiversity.


Lab Website

isbell@umn.edu

Sharon Jansa
 

Systematics, biogeography, and diversification of mammals, particularly rodents and opossums.

Jansa Lab

jansa003@umn.edu

Susan Jones

Disease, anthrax, history of science, human-animal interactions

jone0996@umn.edu

Peter Kennedy

Symbioses, ectomycorrhizal fungi, community ecology, soil carbon and nitrogen cycling

Kennedy Lab

kennedyp@umn.edu

Linda Kinkel
 

 

Ecology and evolutionary biology of soil and plant microbiomes focusing on the relationships between plant communities, soil carbon dynamics, and microbiome composition and functional characteristics. 

kinkel@umn.edu

Kenneth Kozak

Phylogeography, molecular ecology, and historical biogeography of amphibians and reptiles; biodiversity informatics; applications of GIS to evolutionary biology, ecology, and conservation biology.

Bell Museum Amphibians & Reptiles

kozak016@umn.edu

Scott Lanyon

Avian systematics,  comparative phylogenetics, phylogeneticmethods

lanyo001@umn.edu

Diane Larson

Plant-pollinator interactions at the community scale and how invasive plants (and their control) affect these interactions.

Northern Prairie Homepage

dllarson@umn.edu

Daniel Larkin

Restoration ecology, invasion biology 

Lab website

djlarkin@umn.edu

Clarence 
Lehman

Theoretical ecology,  computational biology, biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, habitat restoration, ecology of disease

lehman@umn.edu

Peter Makovicky I am a vertebrate paleontologist with an active research program on the diversity and evolution of dinosaurs fueled by field programs on four continents. I use anatomical and systematic research to address macroevolutionary questions such as global biogeographic patterns, the evolution of herbivory in dinosaurs, and life history patterns and the role of heterochrony in dinosaur evolution. I also have research interests and have published on a wide range of paleobiological topics including biochronology, body size estimation and evolution in fossils taxa, body size scaling in living and extinct tetrapods, ichnology, paleopathology, and bite force estimation. pmakovic@umn.edu

Georgiana May

Evolution of host/microbe interactions, molecular evolution, genome organization, fungal population genetics

gmay@umn.edu

Suzanne McGaugh

Conservation genetics, molecular evolution, population genomics, quantitative genetics

McGaugh Lab

smcgaugh@umn.edu

L. David Mech

My research involves monitoring wolf-deer relations in the Superior National Forest.

mechx002@umn.edu

David Moeller
 

Evolution of species' geographic ranges, ecology of speciation, genetics of speciation, mating systems, floral evolution, evolution of plant-herbivore interactions, evolution of plant-pollinator interactions, molecular population genetics, phylogeography


Moeller Lab Website

moeller@umn.edu

Rebecca Montgomery

Global change impacts on forest ecosystems,phenology, the timing of biological activity and how it influences ecological communities.

The Montgomery Lab

rebeccam@umn.edu

Raymond Newman

Assessing control of invasive aquatic macrophytes and factors influencing restoration of native macrophyte communities. 

rnewman@umn.edu

Craig Packer
 

Animal cognition, savanna ecology, wildlife conservation, primarily in southern Africa.

Lion Research Center

packer@umn.edu

Steve Polasky

Ecosystem services,  natural capital, biodiversity conservation, endangered species policy, ecological and economic analysis, renewable energy, environmental regulation, common property resources

polasky@umn.edu

Jennifer Powers 

Ecosystem ecology of tropical landscapes

powers@umn.edu

Sushma Reddy

Origins and maintenance of biological diversity, primarily, the evolutionary history of birds

sreddy@umn.edu

Peter Reich

Ecology, tree physiology, ecophysiology, and silviculture

Forest Ecology Laboratory

preich@umn.edu

Michael Sadowsky

Molecular plant-microbe interactions in nitrogen-fixing symbiotic systems, investigations of the use of microorganisms for biodegradation and bioremediation; molecular methods to determine sources and kinds of bacteria in the environment; and metagenomics of soil, water, and intestinal environments. (Not accepting new graduate students)

sadowsky@umn.edu

Eric Seabloom

Community ecology, disease ecology, restoration ecology, species invasions, top-down and bottom-control of communities, animal behavior

Lab Website

seabloom@umn.edu

Allison Shaw
 

Evolutionary and ecological aspects of migration and dispersal behaviors.

Shaw Lab Website

ashaw@umn.edu

Ruth Shaw

Evolutionary responses of native plant populations to spatially varying and changing environments.

Lab website

shawx016@umn.edu

Emilie Snell-Rood
 

Evolution of behavioral and developmental plasticity, especially in the context of anthropogenic change.

Snell-Rood Lab

emilies@umn.edu

Peter Sorensen

Biology and control of invasive fishes, behavior of fish; olfaction; fish reproductive biology; pheromones; fish migration; aquatic chemical ecology, marine biology.

soren003@umn.edu

Marla Spivak
 

Mechanisms of honey bee social immunity, incorporating molecular, cellular, behavioral and ecological approaches to improve bee health.

Bee Lab Website

spiva001@umn.edu

Daniel Stanton

Lichen ecology, bryophyte ecology, plant ecophysiology, desert ecosystems, fog and dew, self-organizing systems 

Stanton Lab Website

stan0477@umn.edu 

Robert Sterner
 

Ecological stoichiometry, balance of elements in ecological systems.  

The Sterner Lab

stern007@umn.edu

G. David Tilman

Ecological effects of humans, biodiversity, population ecology, resource competition, ecosystem, Cedar Creek

Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve

tilman@umn.edu

Peter Tiffin

Plant population genetics, molecular ecology, plant-herbivore/plant-microbe interactions

Tiffin Lab

ptiffin@umn.edu

Michael Travisano

Ecological and evolutionary dynamics, evolutionary genetics, microbial ecology and evolution

Travisano Lab

travisan@umn.edu

Trevor Wardill

I am a sensory neurobiologist. I investigate evolution of dynamic cephalopod iridescence and colour vision in flies, how they evolved, how they function and what purpose they serve in the ecology of the animal. In particular, I am interested in understanding how squids generate skin patterns and colour changes though dynamic iridescence and how flies use their colour vision to avoid predation or find mates and food. I use advanced methods in genetics, 2-photon imaging and behavioural quantification.

Wardill Lab


twardill@umn.edu

George Weiblen
 

Plant and insect systematics, molecular phylogenetics, population genetics, ecology and coevolution. 

Weiblen Lab

gweiblen@umn.edu

Michael Wilson

Social behavior, communication, intergroup relations, aggression, wildlife health, conservation

wilso198@umn.edu

Mingzi Xu Evolution and genomics of mating behaviors, sexual selection, animal communication, acoustic signaling and preferences in insects.

Lab website

xu000574@umn.edu

Ya Yang

Plant systematics, evolutionary genomics

Yang Lab

yangya@umn.edu

Marlene Zuk
 

Sexual selection and mate choice, ways that parasites and disease can affect those patterns. (Not accepting new graduate students) 

Zuk Lab

mzuk@umn.edu