Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Sabrina McNew studies disease ecology of birds and their parasites and pathogens. She received her PhD from the University of Utah and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Cornell University and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Dr. McNew's goal is to understand how host-parasite interactions affect species' ecology and evolution in a changing world. Her work centers on the following themes: 1) the behavioral ecology of host defense, 2) transcriptomic and epigenetic responses of birds to novel stressors, and 3) community ecology of hosts and parasites. She conducts research in unique biomes ranging from Sonoran Sky Islands to the Galapagos Islands. Her work integrates field experiments, comparative genomics, and creative analytical approaches. She is committed to broadening participation and perspectives in STEM and building a supportive and collaborative lab environment.

Jay Goldberg is an evolutionary ecologist who uses genomics to better understand how some insects tolerate their toxic host plants. He's is an NSF post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and works with Dr. Judith Bronstein, Dr. Mike Barker, Dr. Luciano Matzkin, and the Arizona Genomics Institute. He was recently named one of the 2023 BIO5 postdoctoral fellows and is a proud member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

Alex Badyaev’s research focus is at the interface of evolutionary developmental biology and evolutionary ecology, with specific focus on the understanding of the origin of adaptations. The central goal of his work is to understand the evolution of organismal architecture that reconciles innovation and adaptation. Under this general umbrella, Badyaev lab studies the following empirical themes: 1) Origin, development, and evolution of avian color diversity, 2) Epigenetic remodeling and genetic adaptation in ontogeny of skeletal structures, 3) Relationship between epigenetic and genetic inheritance systems, 4) Role of stress in origin and diversification of organismal forms, 5) Evolution of behavioral and life history strategies, and 6) Evolution and ecology of sexual size dimorphism.

Michael Worobey, PhD, uses the genomes of viruses to trace the evolution of major communicable diseases, such as HIV/AIDS and influenza. He employs an evolutionary approach to understand the origins, emergence and control of pathogens, in particular RNA viruses and retroviruses such as HIV and influenza virus. The research program integrates fieldwork, theory and methodology, molecular biology, and molecular evolutionary analysis of gene sequences in a phylogenetic framework.Current wet-lab projects in Dr. Worobey’s Biosafety Level 3 facility involve recovery of damaged and/or ancient DNA from a variety of sources including paraffin-embedded human tissue specimens, blood smears, and museum specimens. The two main efforts are: 1) reconstructing the emergence of HIV-1 group M in central Africa and North America using fossil HIV-1 sequences, and 2) investigating the evolution of AIDS-related viruses in wild-living African primates using non-invasively-collected samples.

Bruce Walsh is a Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona and also a Professor in the College of Public Health. He is also an Adjunct Professor in the Departments of Animal Sciences, Plant Sciences, and Molecular and Cellular Biology, and the former Chair of two Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs: Genetics and Statistics. Dr. Walsh is internationally known for his work on the genetics of complex traits, and is coauthor of the leading graduate text on Quantitative Genetics. He is a frequently-invited speaker at national and international meetings, being a keynote speaker at the last Two World Congresses in Quantitative Genetics (China and Scotland) as well as at the most recent Gordon Conference in Quantitative Genetics. Dr. Walsh routinely teaches several international graduate/ post-graduate courses each year in areas ranging from animal and plant breeding, to evolutionary genetics, to human applications, and has taught in Australia, Belgium, China, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, Holland, Korea, New Zealand, Portugal, Scotland, and Sweden in additional to numerous domestic short courses. Most recently, in conjunction with BIO5, he has started the Tucson Winter Institute in Plant Breeding, whose propose is to train academic and industry plant breeders from around the world in the latest techniques in genomics, statistics, and bioinformatics as they relate to improving plant production. Keywords: "Statistical Genetics" "plant and animal breeding"

Joanna Masel, D.Phil., is a Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, applying the tools of theoretical population genetics to diverse research problems. Her research program is divided between analytical theory, evolutionary simulations, and dry lab empirical bioinformatic work. The robustness and evolvability of living systems are major themes in her work, including questions about the origins of novelty, eg at the level of new protein-coding sequences arising during evolution from "junk" DNA. She also has interests in prion biology, and in the nature of both biological and economic competitions. She has won many awards, including a Fellowship at Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, a Pew Scholarship in the Biomedical Sciences, an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow, a Rhodes Scholarship, and a Bronze Medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad.

Dr. Jeremiah Hackett, Ph.D., is Associate Professor and Department Head of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. He received his undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a Ph.D. in Genetics, University of Iowa. Dr. Hackett’s research interests are in the areas of genome evolution, evolution of photosynthesis and the physiology of harmful algae. His research investigates how eukaryotes acquire plastids through endosymbiosis and how this process influences genome evolution through gene transfer. Another main area of research is the ecology and physiology of harmful algae. Dr. Hackett uses microarrays to determine global gene expression patterns of harmful algae under various growth conditions. These gene expression profiles will be used to determine the factors that lead to harmful algal blooms in the oceans.

Dr. Renee Duckworth, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. The ultimate goal of her work is to understand the link between micro and macroevolutionary processes with specific focus on ecological feedbacks and evolutionary diversification. To achieve these goals, she integrates approaches from evolutionary and physiological ecology to quantitative genetic and genomic methods. Her current work uses large-scale field experiments, empirical measures of lifetime fitness and molecular multi-generational pedigree reconstruction to investigate the dynamics of trait evolution in the context of range expansion and species coexistence in passerine birds. Current projects in the lab include the evolution of adaptive introgression, the mechanisms of species coexistence at range margins, the role of adaptive maternal effects in range expansion, and the origin and evolution of animal personality traits.

Dr. Anna Dornhaus Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Physiology and the BIO5 Institute. Dr. Dornhaus received her B.S. and Ph.D. in Zoology at the University of Würzburg and is currently an Associate Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona. She specializes in the organization of groups as well as how collective behaviors emerge from the actions and interactions of individuals. Her model systems seek data in social insect colonies (bumble bees, honey bees and ants) in the laboratory and in the field, as well as using mathematical and individual-based modeling approaches. Dr. Dornhaus investigates mechanisms of coordination in foraging, collective decision-making, task allocation and division of labor. Dr. Dornhaus’ recent work has included the role of communication in the allocation of foragers to food sources; the evolution of different recruitment systems in different species of bees, and how ecology shapes these recruitment systems; house hunting strategies in ants; speed-accuracy trade offs in decision-making; and whether different group sizes necessitate different organizational strategies.

Judith L. Bronstein is University Distinguished Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, with a joint appointment in the Department of Entomology. Dr. Bronstein’s large, active lab focuses on the ecology and evolution of interspecific interactions, particularly on the poorly-understood, mutually beneficial ones (mutualisms). Using a combination of field observations, experiments, and theory, they are examining how population processes, abiotic conditions, and the community context determine net effects of interactions for the fitness of each participant species. Specific conceptual areas of interest include: (i) conflicts of interest between mutualists and their consequences for the maintenance of beneficial outcomes; (ii) the causes and consequences of "cheating" within mutualism; (iii) context-dependent outcomes in both mutualisms and antagonisms; and (iv) anthropogenic threats to mutualisms. In addition, she is Editor-in-Chief of The American Naturalist, a leading international journal in ecology and evolution. An award-winning instructor, Dr. Bronstein teaches at both the undergraduate and graduate levels; she has also run a large training grant administered by BIO5 that places life sciences graduate students in public school classrooms around Tucson. She serves in leadership positions in the College of Science (including chairing the College of Science Promotion and Tenure Committee for 2013), at the University, and at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, where she is a member of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the Science and Conservation Council.