Faculty
OEB brings together more than 75 faculty, providing critical mass needed for effective graduate training. Our faculty are drawn from 10 departments at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and from across the Five College System (Amherst, Hampshire, Mt. Holyoke, and Smith Colleges), as well as from off-campus institutions. OEB faculty are engaged in cutting edge research, with research clusters in four broad areas:
Animal Behavior
Behavioral ecology, communication, learning
Ecology
Community ecology, population ecology, landscape ecology, conservation biology
Evolutionary Biology
Evolution, phylogenetics, population genetics, molecular evolution
Organismal Biology
Physiology, morphology, paleontology
All OEB faculty are listed below. To help applicants to our graduate program locate a faculty sponsor, the faculty list can be filtered by four broad research areas. A list of faculty who are activiely seeking graduate students can be found HERE
| Name | Research Interests |
|---|---|
|
Lynn Adler Professor, Biology |
Ecology and evolution of insect-plant interactions |
|
R. Craig Albertson Associate Professor of Biology, University of Massachusetts |
Evolutionary Developmental Biology |
|
Dominique Alfandari Professor of Developmental BIology |
ADAM metalloprotease function during embryonic development |
|
Peter Alpert Professor, Biology |
Ecology of plant invasion, resource capture and utilization by clonal plants. |
|
Anne Averill Professor, Environmental Conservation |
Insect pollinators and pollination services in managed ecosystems |
|
Courtney C. Babbitt Assistant Professor and Honors Faculty, Department of Biology |
Evolutionary Genomics |
|
Madelaine Bartlett Assistant Professor, Biology |
Evolution of plant development; Molecular evolution |
|
Tobias Baskin Professor, Biology |
Regulation of Plant Morphogenesis During Growth & Development |
|
Annaliese Beery Assistant Professor, Departments of Neuroscience, Psychology, and Biology, Smith College |
Neuroendocrinology of social behavior |
|
Jesse Bellemare Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, Smith College |
Plant ecology, biogeography and evolution |
|
Eric L. Bittman Professor, Department of Biology |
Circadian Rhythms, Reproduction, and Seasonal Changes in Brain Function |
|
Jeffrey L. Blanchard Associate Professor, Department of Biology |
Microbial cellular and community networks; influence of environmental change on the evolution of molecular processes; systems biology; bioinformatics |
|
Jeffrey D. Blaustein Professor, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences Director, Neuroscience and Behavior Program |
Neuroendocrinology, Hormone-Neurotransmitter Interactions, Hormones and Behavior, Reproductive Endocrinology, Peripubertal Stress and Reproduction |
|
Bethany A. Bradley Assistant Professor of Environmental Conservation |
Biogeography and spatial ecology of terrestrial plant invasions |
|
Patricia Brennan Research Assistant Professor of Biology and Psychological & Brain Sciences |
Evolutionary consequences of interactions between behavior, morphology and the environment |
|
Jill L. Bubier Associate Professor of Environmental Science, Mount Holyoke College |
Carbon cycling in northern wetlands |
|
John P. Buonaccorsi Professor of Mathematics and Statistics |
Statistical theory, methods and applcations, Quantitative ecology |
|
Bruce Byers Associate Professor of Biology |
Acoustic communication in birds |
|
Ana Caicedo Associate Professor, Biology |
Evolutionary genomics of adaptation and divergence in wild, weedy and crop plant species |
|
Graham Caldwell Associate Professor of Kinesiology |
Muscle mechanics and modeling in human motor performance |
|
Theodore Castro–Santos Adjunct Assistant Professor of Biology |
Biomechanics and Behavior of Migratory Fishes; Bioengineering of Fish Passage Structures |
|
Ethan D. Clotfelter Associate Professor of Biology, Amherst College |
Reproductive behavior of birds and fishes |
|
Erin Conlon Associate Professor of Mathematics and Statistics |
Statistical methods in genomics and bioinformatics |
|
Daniel R. Cooley Professor of Plant Pathology, Stockbridge School of Agriculture |
Epidemiology, ecology and sustainable management of plant diseases |
|
Cristina Cox Fernandes Adjunct Research Associate Professor and Curator of Fishes, Department of Biology |
Ecology and evolutionary diversity of neotropical freshwater fishes, particularly within the Amazon River |
|
Andy J. Danylchuk Assistant Professor of Environmental Conservation |
Fish conservation, recreational fisheries, sustainable aquaculture |
|
Kristen M DeAngelis Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology |
Community ecology and physiology of soil microbes, climate change, plant-soil interactions |
|
Stephen DeStefano Research Professor of Environmental Conservation USGS Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Leader |
Urban and suburban wildlife, forest wildlife, and human-wildlife interactions |
|
Robert L. Dorit Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Smith College |
Molecular evolution; comparative & statistical approaches to molecular & genome evolution |
|
Gerald B. Downes Associate Professor, Department of Biology |
Development and function of spinal cord networks |
|
Elizabeth R. Dumont Vice Provost for Academic Affairs; Director, Interdisciplinary Grad. Programs, CNS; Professor of Biology |
Vertebrate Morphology |
|
Joseph S. Elkinton Professor of Environmental Conservation |
Population dynamics and biological control of invasive forest insects |
|
Aaron Ellison Senior Research Fellow, Harvard Forest, Harvard University Adj. Res. Professor of Biology, UMass |
Assembly and disassembly in ecological systems |
|
John Finn Professor of Environmental Conservation |
Network Analysis of Acoustic Telemetry |
|
Lillian Fritz-Laylin Assistant Professor, Biology Department |
Evolutionary cell biology of cell motility and differentiation |
|
Todd K. Fuller Professor of Environmental Conservation |
Mammalian population ecology and natural history |
|
Alexander R. Gerson Assistant Professor, Biology |
Integrative ecological physiology of birds, energetics, water balance, bird migration |
|
Cynthia Gill Associate Professor of Natural Sciences, Hampshire College |
Human and comparative physiology, neuroscience, endocrinology, herpetology, conservation biology, and behavioral biology |
|
Gary B. Gillis Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Mount Holyoke College |
Biomechanics and neuromuscular control of vertebrate locomotion |
|
Steven Goodwin Dean, College of Natural Sciences Professor of Microbiology |
|
|
Evan Grant Adjunct Assistant Professor of Environmental Conservation Research Wildlife Biologist, Conte Anadromous Fish Lab |
Ecology and management of amphibian populations and habitat |
|
Curtice R. Griffin Professor and Department Head of Environmental Conservation |
Wildlife ecology and conservation |
|
Joseph Hamill Professor, Department of Kinesiology Professor and Associate Dean of Research, School of Public Health and Health Sciences |
Biomechanics of human locomotion |
|
Alex Haro Adjunct Professor of Environmental Conservation Ecologist and Section Leader, Fish Passage Engineering S.O. Conte Anadromous Fish Research Center |
Fish behavior and migration; fish passage |
|
Brigitte M. Holt Associate Professor of Anthropology |
Biocultural evolution of the genus Homo, functional morphology and biomechanics of the appendicular skeleton, paleoecology, forager ecology, Old World prehistory, Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene ecology, bone mass and physical activity. |
|
Michael Hood Associate Professor of Biology, Amherst College |
Evolutionary forces that shape systems of inheritance and disease transmission |
|
Martha Hoopes Associate Professor, Biological Sciences, Mount Holyoke College |
Spread dynamics, impacts, and lag times in invasion ecology, as well as metacommunity dynamics, particularly for plants and herbivores. |
|
Peter W. Houlihan Senior Lecturer in Biology |
Animal Behavior, Vertebrate Ecology, and Conservation Biology |
|
Duncan J. Irschick Professor, Department of Biology |
Functional Morphology, Evolution, and Behavioral Ecology |
|
Elizabeth M. Jakob Professor, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences |
Animal behavior, especially perception, learning, and social behavior |
|
Abigail Jensen Associate Professor, Department of Biology |
Molecular and cellular mechanisms of vertebrate retinal development and retinal disease. |
|
Norman A. Johnson Adjunct Research Assistant Professor, Biology & Environmental Conservation |
Evolutionary genetics, evolution of development |
|
Adrian Jordaan Assistant Professor, Environmental Conservation |
Ecosystems, modeling, tagging, movement, trophic dynamics, diadromous, marine, |
|
Jason M. Kamilar Assistant Professor of Anthropology |
Comparative biology of primates and other mammals |
|
Rolf O. Karlstrom Professor, Department of Biology |
Developmental neurobiology; axon guidance and forebrain patterning |
|
Laura A. Katz Elsie Damon Simonds Professor of Biological Sciences, Smith College |
Genome evolution and biodiversity studies of microbial eukaryotes |
|
Paul S. Katz Professor, Department of Biology |
Neuroethology, central pattern generators, single neuron RNA-seq, developmental neuroscience, evolution of neural circuits, molluscan systems
|
|
Diane A. Kelly Adjunct Research Assistant Professor, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences |
Neurobiology, biomechanics, and evolution of reproductive systems. |
|
Jane Kent Professor, Department of Kinesiology |
Quantifying age, gender, and activity based changes in human skeletal muscle function. Measuring the roles of neural activation, intramuscular metabolism, contractile function and blood flow in the development of muscle fatigue in a variety of populations. |
|
David King Adjunct Research Associate Professor, Environmental Conservation Research Wildlife Biologist USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station, Amherst |
Wildlife ecology and conservation |
|
Michael L. Lavine Professor, Mathematics and Statistics |
Statistical Theory and Methods |
|
R. Mark Leckie Professor and Department Head, Geosciences |
Micropaleontology, Biostratigraphy, Paleoceanography |
|
Susannah B. Lerman Adjunct Research Professor, Dept. of Environmental Conservation |
Urban and suburban ecology, wildlife conservation, and citizen science |
|
Benjamin Letcher Adjunct Associate Professor of Environmental Conservation Section Leader, Conte Anadromous Fish Research Center |
Population ecology of stream fishes |
|
Rachel A. Levin Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Amherst College |
Plant systematics, biogeography and ecology |
|
Li–Jun Ma Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |
Fungal comparative genomics, eukaryotic genome evolution and organism adaptation |
|
Stephen D. McCormick Adjunct Professor of Biology Research Physiologist, Conte Anadromous Fish Lab |
Environmental Physiology of Fish |
|
Kevin McGarigal Professor of Environmental Conservation |
Landscape ecology, ecosystem management, wildlife ecology |
|
Jill Miller Associate Professor of Biology, Amherst College |
Ecology and evolution of plant reproductive systems, molecular phylogenetic systematics, population and evolutionary genetics, hybridization and speciation |
|
Keith H. Nislow Adjunct Associate Professor of Environmental Conservation Research Fishery Biologist, USDA Forest Service |
Ecology and conservation biology of stream fishes and invertebrates |
|
Benjamin Normark Professor of Biology |
Evolution of alternative genetic systems; evolution of host range; scale insect systematics |
|
Melinda Novak Professor, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences |
Behavior of microtines and primates |
|
Klaus Nüsslein Professsor of Microbiology |
Microbial ecology of terrestrial and aquatic environments |
|
Sarah Partan Associate Professor, School of Cognitive Science, Hampshire College |
Visual and acoustic communication in mammals |
|
Jeffrey E. Podos Professor, Department of Biology OEB Graduate Program Leader |
Mechanisms and evolution of vertebrate behavior, bioacoustics |
|
Adam H. Porter Associate Professor of Biology Admissions Committee Chair, OEB |
Evolutionary biology; hybridization, introgression & speciation; ecological genetics; evolution of regulatory genetic pathways; computer and mathematical modeling; invasion and range expansion; insects, especially butterflies and moths |
|
Stan P. Rachootin Professor of Biological Sciences, Mount Holyoke College |
Evolution and development, history of evolutionary theory |
|
Luke Remage–Healey Associate Professor, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences |
Neural basis of behavior |
|
Stephen Rich Professor of Microbiology |
Molecular Evolution and Population Genomics of Arthropod-borne Microbial Pathogens |
|
Alan M. Richmond Lecturer in Biology Curator of Curator of Amphibians and Reptiles , NaturalHistory Collections |
Phylogeography of New England amphibians and reptiles |
|
Margaret (Peg) Riley Professor of Biology |
Microbial molecular evolution and ecology |
|
Charles Ross Associate Professor of Evolutionary Biology, Hampshire College |
Ecological and evolutionary genetics of hybrid zones and speciation |
|
Allison H. Roy Research Assistant Professor of Environmental Conservation |
Freshwater ecology, fish and macroinvertebrates, urban ecology, conservation |
|
Laela Sayigh Visiting Assistant Professor of Animal Behavior, Hampshire College |
Social behavior and communication of cetaceans (whales and dolphins) |
|
Tristram Seidler Extension Assistant Professor, Biology |
Plant ecology, plant diversity, invasive plants, climate change |
|
David A. Sela Assistant Professor, Food Science |
Host-microbe coevolution, microbial genomics & ecology, host dietary influences on microbiota form and function |
|
Lynnette Sievert Professor of Anthropology |
Evolution of menopause |
|
Paul R Sievert Research Associate Professor of Environmental Conservation |
Conservation biology, physiological ecology and biostatistics |
|
L. David Smith Professor of Biological Sciences, Smith College Director of the Environmental Science and Policy Program |
Ecology and evolution of marine predator-prey interactions |
|
Kristina Stinson Assistant Professor, Environmental Conservation |
Plant Ecology, Invasive Plants, Biological Responses to Global Change |
|
John Stoffolano Professor, Stockbridge School of Agriculture |
Behavior and physiology of flies especially of the adult crop organ and the mechanisms regulating filling and depletion |
|
Chris Sutherland Assistant Professor, Environmental Conservation |
Population, spatial, statistical and applied ecology |
|
Alexander Suvorov Assistant Professor, Environmental Health Sciences |
Effects on behavior by environmental xenobiotics with endocrine disruptive properties |
|
Ethan J. Temeles Professor of Biology, Amherst College |
Foraging behavior; Territoriality; Intra- and Interspecific competition; Resource partitioning; Mutualism; Coevolution; |
|
Brian R. Umberger Associate Professor of Kinesiology |
Biomechanics and energetics of hominin locomotion |
|
Elsbeth Walker Gilgut Professor, Biology (sabbatical fall 16) |
Molecular genetic approaches to studying mechanisms of metal ion homeostasis in plants |
|
Paige S. Warren Associate Professor of Environmental Conservation |
Urban ecology, human-environment interactions, animal behavior |
|
R. Thomas Zoeller Professor, Department of Biology |
Environmental endocrine disrupters |