EEB Welcomes New Core Faculty Member Thomas Chappell

Thomas Chappell is an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology in the
Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology at Texas A&M.  He has
longstanding interests in plants, diseases, and strategy.

Chappell received his Ph.D. in Biology from Duke University, and during
his graduate training in evolutionary genetics, developed a focus on
antagonistic coevolution between plants and their enemies.  During
postdoctoral work in entomology at NC State University, he studied
several insect-vectored plant pathosystems and implemented
software-based decision support tools for agricultural applications.

Today, the Chappell Lab uses modeling and analysis to understand and manage plant pathosystems, and
enjoys collaboration with entomologists studying pests and vectors.
Chappell takes an evolutionary ecology approach to many questions, and
has particular interest in advancing theory and practice concerning
evolution of resistance to agrochemicals.

EEB/ABS Welcomes New Program Coordinator

Nick Jacobsen is a conservation social scientist who focuses his teaching and research on understanding human-environment interactions.

He completed his B.A. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Rice University, and he received his Ph.D. at Texas A&M University from the Applied Biodiversity Science program. His dissertation research investigated human-lion conflict in the Okavango Delta Region of Botswana, and was more specifically on how national and international policies shaped local people’s interactions with and attitudes toward large predators.

Before graduate school Nick participated in field-based research projects in California, Peru, South Africa, and Ethiopia, all focusing on mammalian carnivore ecology and conservation. In his free time, Nick enjoys camping and hiking, travel, and basketball (mostly watching these days).

Welcome to EEB’s newest Associate Faculty member!

Brian W. Davis is a Research Assistant Professor of Genomics in the Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences in the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine, and the founder of the Exotic Genome Repository.

Brian received his Ph.D. from  Texas A&M University where he focused on the genomics of speciation using hybrid felines as a model for reproductive isolation. Shortly after, he founded a multi-institutional biobank for the preservation of tissues from animals under veterinary surveillance in the US. He then joined the National Human Genome Research Institute’s Comparative Genomics and Cancer Genetics branches as a postdoc where he focused on natural/artificial selection and the burden of deleterious variation in multiple post-domestication and wild animal species. Focused heavily on big-data genomics and genome evolution, his research at Texas A&M focuses on integrating models of heritable disease across diverse species.