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Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Doctoral Program

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Spotlight: Angie Achorn

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Angie Achorn (ANTH behavioral ecology) graduated from Rhode Island College in 2016 with a B.A. in Anthropology and a minor in Environmental Studies. Previously, she has studied cultural perceptions of primates as pets, trash-raiding behaviors by white-faced capuchins, and intestinal parasite infections in three lemur species. She earned her M.A. in Anthropology at Texas A&M in 2018, and is now a PhD candidate in the anthropology department under Dr. Sharon Gursky.

Angie is currently in Indonesia on a Fulbright fellowship collecting data for her dissertation, which explores relationships between coloration, mating behaviors, parasite infections, and hormones in Sulawesi crested macaques. She just published a paper on sexual selection in Trends in Ecology and Evolution with EEB faculty Dr. Gil Rosenthal.

Spotlight – EEB Recruiting

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The Interdisciplinary Degree Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) at Texas A&M University offers a Ph.D. in the field of Ecology and Evolution.

We offer a world-class training program that incorporates fields relevant to EEB, spanning evolutionary genomics to animal behavior to landscape ecology. Our faculty and students are associated with 11 departments and 7 colleges across Texas A&M University, bringing together a diverse array of perspectives.

Find out more about the program here.

Spotlight – Thomas Chappell

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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.

Spotlight – Nick Jacobsen

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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).

Spotlight – Brian Davis

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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.