Faculty

Core, Associate and Adjunct Faculty

Core Faculty are members of the Graduate Faculty at Texas A&M University. Core faculty teach EEB module courses and also serve as committee chairs for EEB students. A list of faculty research themes can be found here and are also listed under each core faculty member’s interest in the list below. Other information about Core Faculty can be found in the bylaws.

Core Faculty

	Jaime Alvarado-Bremer Associate Professor Marine Biology Department page	Conservation and population genetics of large pelagic fishes conservation biology/restoration ecology evolutionary genomics phylogenetics & comparative biology population & quantitative genetics
	Anna Armitage Associate Professor Marine Biology Ecosystem Sci & Mgmt Department page	Coastal ecosystem ecology and management of restored and impacted habitats conservation biol/restoration ecology ecosystems/landscape ecology community ecology
	Giri Athrey Assistant Professor Poultry Science Lab Website	Quantitative genetics and functional genomics, birds and disease vectors evolutionary genomics population & quantitative genetics population ecology
	Perry Barboza Professor Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences Lab Website	Consequences of life history and environmental change on nutrition in wildlife
	Spencer Behmer Professor Entomology Lab Website	Insect physiology and behavior, including their ecological and evolutionary bases behavioral ecology physiological ecology
	Christina Belanger Assistant Professor Geology & Geophysics Department page	Biotic responses to environmental change; paleoecology; paleoenvironments community ecology ecosystems/landscape ecology conservation biology/restoration ecology evolutionary ecology
	Heath Blackmon Assistant Professor Biology Lab Website	Evolutionary genomics, quantitative genetics, character evolution, and applied phylogenetics evolutionary genomics phylogenetics & comparative biology population & quantitative genetics
	Thomas Boutton Regents Professor Ecosystem Science & Mgmt Department page	Land cover/land use effects on ecosystem biogeochemistry ecosystems/landscape ecology
	Donald Brightsmith Associate Professor Veterinary Pathobiology Department page	Ecology and conservation of macaws and parrots behavioral ecology community ecology conservation biology/restoration ecology population ecology
	James Cai Assistant Professor Veterinary Integrative Biosciences Department page Lab Website	Evolutionary biology and physiology, with emphasis on evolution of complex phenotypes evolutionary genomics population & quantitative genetics
	Lisa Campbell Professor Oceanography Department page Lab website	Community structure, population dynamics and diversity of marine phytoplankton ecosystems/landscape ecology physiological ecology population ecology
	Claudio Casola Assistant Professor Ecosystem Science & Mgmt Lab Website	Evolutionary genomics of genes and transposable elements in conifers evolutionary genomics
	Thomas Chappell Assistant Professor Plant Pathology & Microbiology Lab Website Department page	Epidemiology, ecology, and coevolution of plant-enemy systems evolutionary ecology community ecology population ecology
	Kevin Conway Associate Professor Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences Lab Website	Systematic ichthyology; phylogenetic and comparative anatomy of ray-finned fishes phylogenetics & comparative biology
	Charles Criscione Associate Professor Biology Lab Website	Population genetics of metazoan parasites evolutionary ecology evolutionary genomics population & quantitative genetics
	Kira Delmore Assistant Professor Biology Lab Website	Speciation, hybrid zones, and seasonal migration behavioral ecology evolutionary ecology population & quantitative genetics
	Darryl de Ruiter Professor Anthropology Department page	Ecology and evolution of the human lineage, with a particular focus on origin of genus Homo phylogenetics & comparative biology
	Micky Eubanks Professor Entomology Lab Website	Causes and consequences of variation in complex ecological interactions behavioral ecology community ecology evolutionary ecology population ecology
	Ron Eytan Assistant Professor Marine Biology Lab Website	Evolutionary genetics, molecular systematics, and speciation in marine fishes evolutionary ecology evolutionary genomics phylogenetics & comparative biology population & quantitative genetics
	Rusty Feagin Associate Professor Ecosystem Science & Mgmt Lab Website	Responses of beach, dune, and wetland ecosystems to global change conservation biology/restoration ecology ecosystems/landscape ecology
	Lee Fitzgerald Professor Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences Lab Website	Mechanisms underlying persistence and disappearance of species and communities community ecology conservation biology/restoration ecology ecosystems/landscape ecology evolutionary ecology population ecology
	Masami Fujiwara Associate Professor Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences Lab Website	Effects of life history variation on population and community dynamics; statistical ecology; theoretical ecology population ecology
	Jacqueline Grace Assistant Professor Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences Lab Website	Ecophysiology and behavior of birds behavioral ecology physiological ecology
	Sharon Gursky Professor Anthropology Department page	Behavioral ecology and conservation of non-human primates behavioral ecology evolutionary ecology population ecology
	Gabriel Hamer Assistant Professor Entomology Lab Website	Ecology of infectious diseases of humans, wild animals, and domestic animals community ecology ecosystems/landscape ecology population ecology
	Sarah Hamer Associate Professor Veterinary Integrative Biosciences Lab Website	Ecology and epidemiology of wildlife disease community ecology ecosystems/landscape ecology
	Anjel Helms Assistant Professor Entomology Department page	Chemical ecology, tritrophic and plant-herbivore interactions behavioral ecology evolutionary ecology physiological ecology
	Luis Hurtado Associate Professor Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences Lab Website	Evolutionary origins, patterns and maintenance of biodiversity conservation biology/restoration ecology evolutionary ecology evolutionary genomics phylogenetics & comparative biology population & quantitative genetics
	Laura Jurgens Assistant Professor Marine Biology Lab Website	Global change and extreme events; marine and estuarine community ecology; macro-ecology community ecology conservation biology/restoration ecology ecosystems/landscape ecology physiological ecology
	Vaishali Katju Associate Professor Veterinary Integrative Biosciences Lab Website	Comparative evolutionary genomics; deleterious and compensatory mutations; evolution of eukaryotic genomes; evolution of reproductive incompatibility; experimental evolution; gene duplication and the origin of novel genes evolutionary genomics population & quantitative genetics
	Tom Lacher Professor Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences Lab Website	Assessment and monitoring of patterns and trends in biodiversity community ecology conservation biology/restoration ecology ecosystems/landscape ecology population ecology
	Michelle Lawing Assistant Professor Ecosystem Science & Mgmt Lab Website	Evolutionary responses of species and communites to environmental change community ecology conservation biology/restoration ecology ecosystems/landscape ecology phylogenetics & comparative biology
	Jessica Light Associate Professor Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences Lab Website	Evolutionary and ecological assessments of host-parasite associations evolutionary ecology phylogenetics & comparative biology population & quantitative genetics
	Anna Linderholm Assistant Professor Anthropology Department page	Ancient DNA, dog domestication, adaptation to environmental change, environmental reconstructions in prehistory evolutionary ecology evolutionary genomics population & quantitative genetics population ecology
	Christopher Marshall Professor Marine Biology Lab Website	Comparative functional organismal biology and evolutionary adaptation evolutionary ecology physiological ecology
	Mariana Mateos Associate Professor Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences Lab Website	Evolution of host-symbiont associations and phylogeography of freshwater organisms evolutionary ecology evolutionary genomics phylogenetics & comparative biology population & quantitative genetics
	Christine Merlin Assistant Professor Biology Lab Website	Circadian biology behavioral ecology
	Maria Pia Miglietta Assistant Professor Marine Biology Lab Website	Evolution, genetics, and ecology of Hydrozoa (Cnidaria) evolutionary genomics phylogenetics & comparative biology
	Georgianne Moore Associate Professor Ecosystem Science & Mgmt Lab Website	Ecosystem management as it relates to the water cycle conservation biology/restoration ecology ecosystems/landscape ecology physiological ecology
	William Murphy Professor Veterinary Integrative Biosciences Department page Lab Website	Mammalian phylogenetics and evolutionary genomics evolutionary genomics phylogenetics & comparative biology
	Alan Pepper Associate Professor Biology Department page	Phenotypic plasticity and adaptive evolution in terrestrial plants conservation biology/restoration ecology evolutionary ecology evolutionary genomics phylogenetics & comparative biology physiological ecology population & quantitative genetics
	Josh Perkin Assistant Professor Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences Lab Website	Ecology and conservation of freshwater fishes; riverine landscape ecology community ecology conservation biology/restoration ecology ecosystems/landscape ecology
	Antonietta Quigg Professor Marine Biology Lab Website	Elemental dynamics, physiology, and community ecology in coastal ecosystems community ecology ecosystems/landscape ecology physiological ecology
	Juliana Rangel Assistant Professor Entomology Lab Website	Population, disease and reproductive biology of honey bees behavioral ecology (integrative animal behavior) physiological ecology population & quantitative genetics population ecology
	Anne Raymond Professor Geology & Geophysics Department page	Plant paleoecology, paleobiogeography and evolutionary history community ecology conservation biology/restoration ecology evolutionary ecology phylogenetics & comparative biology
	Daniel Roelke Professor Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences Lab Website	Lower foodweb dynamics of aquatic ecosystems; interactions between biota and physicochemical environment community ecology population ecology
	William Rogers Professor Ecosystem Science & Mgmt Department page	Plant-animal interactions, population dynamics, community assembly rules, and ecological restoration community ecology conservation biology/restoration ecology ecosystems/landscape ecology
	Gil Rosenthal Professor Biology Lab Website	Mate choice and evolutionary genetics in fish hybrid zones behavioral ecology evolutionary ecology evolutionary genomics
	Anja Schulze Associate Professor Marine Biology Lab Website	Species distributions, dispersal and local adaptation of marine invertebrates evolutionary genomics phylogenetics & comparative biology
	Michel Slotman Associate Professor Entomology Lab Website	Evolutionary genetics and genomics of disease transmitting mosquitoes evolutionary genomics population & quantitative genetics
	Michael Smotherman Associate Professor Biology Lab Website	Physiology and evolution of vocal motor pathway in mammals behavioral ecology physiological ecology
	Hojun Song Associate Professor Entomology Lab Website	Insect systematics; phylogenetics of orthopteran insects; phenotypic plasticity; character evolution behavioral ecology evolutionary genomics phylogenetics & comparative biology
	Daniel Spalink Assistant Professor Ecosystem Sci & Mgmt Lab Website	Plant systematics and biogeography evolutionary ecology phylogenetics & comparative biology population & quantitative genetics
	Gregory Sword Professor Entomology Lab Website	Insect, plant & microbial ecology behavioral ecology physiological ecology population & quantitative genetics population ecology
	Aaron Tarone Associate Professor Entomology Lab Website	Genomic studies of development and population biology in flies evolutionary genomics physiological ecology population & quantitative genetics
	Jeffery Tomberlin Associate Professor Entomology Lab Website	Ecology and biology of flies associated with decomposing matter behavioral ecology community ecology physiological ecology
	Ed Vargo Professor & Endowed Chair Entomology Lab Website	Urban and structural entomology behavioral ecology population & quantitative genetics population ecology
	Joseph Veldman Assistant Professor Ecosystem Sci & Mgmt Department page Lab Website	Fire ecology of savannas and forests community ecology conservation biology/ restoration ecology ecosystems/landscape ecology
	Gary Voelker Professor Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences Lab Website	Systematics and biogeography of birds evolutionary ecology phylogenetics & comparative biology population & quantitative genetics
	Jason West Associate Professor Ecosystem Science & Mgmt Lab Website	Terrestrial ecosystem ecology, plant-environment interactions, and global environmental change ecosystems/landscape ecology physiological ecology
	Mary Wicksten Professor Biology Dept. Page	Behavior, classification and ecology of decapod Crustacea, plus adaptive coloration in marine organisms behavioral ecology phylogenetics & comparative biology
	Brad Wilcox Professor Ecosystem Science & Mgmt Lab Website	Understanding hydrologic processes on shrublands community ecology ecosystems/landscape ecology
	Kirk Winemiller Regents Professor Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences Lab Website	Ecology and evolution of fishes, community ecology, and aquatic ecosystems community ecology evolutionary ecology population ecology
	X. Ben Wu Professor Ecosystem Science & Mgmt Department page	Landscape ecology and undergraduate ecology education ecosystems/landscape ecology
	Jessica Yorzinski Assistant Professor Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences Lab Website	Animal behavior, sensory ecology, animal communication, conservation behavioral ecology (integrative animal behavior) evolutionary ecology

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Associate Faculty

Associate Faculty are members of the Graduate Faculty at Texas A&M University, but they cannot serve as committee chairs for EEB students. Other information about Associate Faculty can be found in the bylaws.

Name	Title	Dept	Interest
Alvard, Michael S.	Associate Professor	Anthropology	Evolution of human behavior
Andersson, Leif	Professor	Veterinary Integrative Biosciences	Genome biology and evolutionary biology
Bapst, David	Research Assistant Professor	Geology & Geophysics	Marine invertebrate paleontology, morphological phylogenetics, macroevolution
Bergthorsson, Ulfar	Visiting Associate Professor	Veterinary Integrative Biosciences	Evolutionary genetics and genomics
Bernardo, Joseph	Research Associate Professor	Biology	Biodiversity conservation in the face of climate change, vertebrate ecology and life history, biology of amphibians and reptiles (especially salamanders and lizards)
Briske, David D.	Professor	Ecosystem Science & Mgmt	Grassland ecology and global change
Cairns, David	Professor	Geography	Landscape ecology and ecosystem modeling
Coulson, Robert	Professor	Entomology	Activities and impacts of insects and other taxa in forest, prairie, and savanna landscapes
Criscitiello, Michael	Associate Professor	Veterinary Pathobiology	Evolutionary genetics of immune function
Davis, Brian	Research Assistant Professor	Veterinary Integrative Biosciences	Genomic variation in post-domestication/wild populations and heritable disease implications. Founder, Exotic Genome Repository
de Figueiredo, Paul	Associate Professor	Microbial Pathogenesis & Immunology, College of Medicine	Microbiology, cell biology, and genetics to develop novel biotechnologies and elucidate the molecular dynamics of living systems.
DeWitt, Thomas J.	Associate Professor	Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences	Ecological mechanisms of evolutionary diversification
Greenbaum, Ira	Professor	Biology	Vertebrate cytogenetics
Heinz, Kevin M.	Professor	Entomology	Behavioral ecology of host-parasitoid interactions
Lafon, Charles W.	Professor	Geography	Assessment and monitoring of patterns and trends in biodiversity
Lockless, Steve	Assistant Professor	Biology	Information processing in biological systems
Medina, Raul	Associate Professor	Entomology	Population genetic aspects of pest species and their natural enemies
Oswald, John D.	Professor	Entomology	Systematics and evolution of insects
Sansom, Roger	Associate Professor	Philosophy	Integrating evolution and development
Schartl, Manfred	Visiting Professor	Biology	Evolutionary genomics and evolution of sex determination and sex chromosomes in fish; cancer genetics and genomics
Scott, David	Professor	Recreation, Parks & Tourism	Sociology of leisure and community parks and recreation
Stronza, Amanda	Associate Professor	Recreation, Parks & Tourism	Community-based conservation; applied biodiversity sciences, ecotourism; environmental anthropology, ethnographic research; Amazon
Thakar, Heather	Assistant Professor	Anthropology	Evolutionary and Ecological Theory, Coastal and Island Archaeology, Environmental Archaeology, Foraging and Proto-agricultural Societies
Thornton, Daniel	Associate Professor	Oceanography	Ecology of nutrient cycling in coastal systems
Tice, Mike	Associate Professor	Geology & Geophysics	Early evolution of microorganisms and metabolisms
Tjoelker, Mark G.	Professor	Ecosystem Science & Mgmt	Plant physiological ecology
Vogel, Jason	Assistant Professor	Ecosystem Science & Mgmt	Ecosystem management, the physical environment, plant and microbial communities interactions
Walton, Jay	Professor	Mathematics	Modeling spatial ecology and structured populations
Wilkinson, Heather H.	Associate Professor	Plant Pathology & Microbiology	Evolution of microbial genes, genomes and communities
Williams, Tiffani	Associate Professor	Computer Science	Computational biology and phylogenetic inference
Winking, Jeff	Assistant Professor	Anthropology	Evolutionary ecology of human behavior

Adjunct Faculty

Adjunct Faculty may co-advise students and serve on student committees, provided they are appointed to the TAMU graduate faculty. Other information about Adjunct Faculty can be found in the bylaws.

Name	Title	Institution	Interest
Meik, Jesse	Assistant Professor	Tarleton State University	Ecology, comparative evolution biology

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