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.

FacultyResearch FocusLab Website/Email
Frank Albert
 
Genomics, statistical and quantitative genetics, transcriptomicsAlbert 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 evolutionBarker 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, territorialityBee 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 BorrelloHistory of biology, evolutionary theory, genetics, ecology, biology of behavior, biology and societyborrello@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 BumpForest 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, conservationCavender-Bares Lab

cavender@umn.edu
James B. CotnerBiological limnology and oceanography, biogeochemistry, microbial ecologycotne002@umn.edu
Meggan Craft
 
Infectious disease dynamics in animal populations.Craft Lab
craft@umn.edu
James W. CurtsingerConservation biology; ecology, evolution, and behavior; gerontologyjwcurt@umn.edu
Antony M. DeanBiochemistry; ecology, evolution and behavior; microbial engineeringdeanx024@umn.edu
R. Ford DenisonEvolution 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. FinlayMy 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. FoxPaleobiology and paleoclimatology.dlfox@umn.edu
Lee E. Frelich freli001@umn.edu
Susan M. GalatowitschEcological 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 GralnickPhysiology 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 HansenClimate 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 HobbieEcosystem ecology,  carbon and nutrient cycling, decomposition, species effects on ecosystem processes, plant-soil interactionsResearch website

shobbie@umn.edu
Forest IsbellAnthropogenic 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 JonesDisease, anthrax, history of science, human-animal interactionsjone0996@umn.edu
Peter KennedySymbioses, ectomycorrhizal fungi, community ecology, soil carbon and nitrogen cyclingKennedy 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 KozakPhylogeography, 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 LanyonAvian systematics,  comparative phylogenetics, phylogeneticmethodslanyo001@umn.edu
Diane LarsonPlant-pollinator interactions at the community scale and how invasive plants (and their control) affect these interactions.Northern Prairie Homepage

dllarson@umn.edu
Daniel LarkinRestoration ecology, invasion biology 

Lab website

djlarkin@umn.edu

Clarence 
Lehman
Theoretical ecology,  computational biology, biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, habitat restoration, ecology of diseaselehman@umn.edu
Peter MakovickyI 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 MayEvolution of host/microbe interactions, molecular evolution, genome organization, fungal population geneticsgmay@umn.edu
Suzanne McGaughConservation genetics, molecular evolution, population genomics, quantitative genetics

McGaugh Lab

smcgaugh@umn.edu

L. David MechMy 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 MontgomeryGlobal change impacts on forest ecosystems,phenology, the timing of biological activity and how it influences ecological communities.The Montgomery Lab

rebeccam@umn.edu
Raymond NewmanAssessing 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 PolaskyEcosystem services,  natural capital, biodiversity conservation, endangered species policy, ecological and economic analysis, renewable energy, environmental regulation, common property resourcespolasky@umn.edu
Jennifer Powers Ecosystem ecology of tropical landscapespowers@umn.edu
Sushma ReddyOrigins and maintenance of biological diversity, primarily, the evolutionary history of birdssreddy@umn.edu
Peter ReichEcology, tree physiology, ecophysiology, and silvicultureForest Ecology Laboratory

preich@umn.edu
Eric SeabloomCommunity ecology, disease ecology, restoration ecology, species invasions, top-down and bottom-control of communities, animal behaviorLab Website

seabloom@umn.edu
Allison Shaw
 
Evolutionary and ecological aspects of migration and dispersal behaviors.Shaw Lab Website

ashaw@umn.edu
Ruth ShawEvolutionary 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 SorensenBiology 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 StantonLichen 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 TilmanEcological effects of humans, biodiversity, population ecology, resource competition, ecosystem, Cedar CreekCedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve

tilman@umn.edu
Michael TravisanoEcological and evolutionary dynamics, evolutionary genetics, microbial ecology and evolutionTravisano Lab

travisan@umn.edu
Trevor WardillI 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 WilsonSocial behavior, communication, intergroup relations, aggression, wildlife health, conservationwilso198@umn.edu
Mingzi XuEvolution and genomics of mating behaviors, sexual selection, animal communication, acoustic signaling and preferences in insects.

Lab website

xu000574@umn.edu

Ya YangPlant systematics, evolutionary genomicsYang 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