Program in Ecology and Evolution | Interdisciplinary Program
Dr. Melanie Murphy
Director, Program in Ecology and Evolution
Debbie Swierczek
Program Coordinator
School of Graduate Education
Knight Hall 247
Phone: (307) 766-4128
Email: ecology@uwyo.edu
Faculty | Emeritus Faculty | How to Join PiEE | Faculty Committees | External Advisory Committee
Program in Ecology and Evolution Faculty & Emeritus represent many different departments
and offer diverse expertise and interests, but all share a core commitment to research
and graduate training in ecology. All students enrolled in PiEE are advised or co-advised
by a PiEE Faculty member.
The Program in Ecology and Evolution is administered by a director and office associate,
with the assistance and advisement of 48 faculty members and 15 affiliates. The program
includes 65 students in 11 departments, and has graduated 79 outstanding alumni.
Director, Program in Ecology and Evolution
Professor
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management
SIB 3252
(307) 314-9873 | melanie.murphy@uwyo.edu
Areas of study and research: ecological complexity, landscape ecology, population genetics, biodiversity, functional connectivity, ecosystem dynamics, sustainability, amphibians, carnivores, ungulates, small mammals, birds, coniferous plants, rangeland systems, ecosystem biodiversity, anthropogenic processes, species distributions, system connectivity, population persistence, landscape change
Alumni: Charlotte Gabrielson
Assistant Professor
Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources
Room 4093, Engineering
(307) 766-5294 | eaikens@uwyo.edu
Areas of study and research: quantitative wildlife ecology, applied data science, animal tracking, remote sensing, field-based ecological research, wildlife habitat and resource requirements, wildlife responses to environmental change, critical habitat identification, and large landscape conservation for migratory mammals and birds
Professor
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management
Areas of study and research: wildlife habitat ecology, restoration ecology, sagebrush habitat conservation, impacts of anthropogenic development on vertebrate species, habitat use by greater sage-grouse and ungulates, evaluation of mitigation techniques, conservation practices in rangeland systems, ecological responses to habitat restoration across spatial and temporal scales
Alumni: Clay Buchanan, Courtney Duchardt, Aaron Pratt, Kurt Smith, Jonathan Lautenbach
Assistant Professor
Department of Zoology and Physiology
Areas of study and research: evolutionary biology, systems neuroscience, genetic basis of behavior, neural basis of behavior, voluntary micturition, physiological regulation of urination, social communication through scent marking, behavioral variation in mice, aggression and territoriality in rodents, laboratory and field-based behavioral studies
Professor
Department of Zoology and Physiology
Bio Sciences 406
(307) 509-0295 | bendavid@uwyo.edu
Areas of study and research: animal behavioral ecology, population dynamics, ecosystem function, carnivore ecology, nutrient transport from sea to land, isotopic tracers, genetic tracers, trophic interactions, risk-sensitive foraging, salmon consumption by brown bears, nutrient transfer to terrestrial ecosystems
Alumni: Adi Barocas, Jamie Crait, Carolyn Eckrich, Kristina Harkins, Eric Quallen, John Whiteman
Assistant Professor
Department of Zoology and Physiology
Areas of study and research: applied wildlife ecology, small mammal and amphibian ecology, foraging behavior, interspecific competition, invasive species interactions, disease impacts on community structure, species susceptibility and survival, decision science applications for wildlife and natural resource management
Associate Professor
Department of Zoology and Physiology
Berry Center 148
Areas of study and research: speciation, adaptation, avian genetics, hybrid zones, gene flow, introgression, functional differentiation in birds, evolutionary genetics of birds, mitochondrial gene evolution, effects of extreme environments on genetic adaptation
Alumni: Shawn Billerman, Paul Dougherty
Associate Professor and Assistant Leader of the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Unit
Department of Zoology and Physiology
Areas of study and research: wildlife-habitat relationships, habitat use and quality, ecological processes, behavioral ecology, evolutionary ecology, anthropogenic habitat change, impacts of oil and gas extraction, non-game wildlife species, sagebrush ecosystem ecology, songbird ecology, small mammal ecology, herpetofauna ecology, life history patterns, avian parental care
Alumni: Gabriel Barrile, Jason Carlisle, Katherine Gura, Embere Hall
Associate Professor
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management
Areas of study and research: top-down effects, bottom-up effects, environmental influences on ecosystems, population ecology, community ecology, ecosystem ecology, ecological interactions, applied ecology, stakeholder-driven research, ecological education and training
Professor and Department Head
Department of Geology and Geophysics
ESB 1014
(307) 766-2625 | mclemen1@uwyo.edu
Areas of study and research: paleoecology, evolutionary ecology, marine mammal ecology, stable isotope analysis, ancient ecosystems, dietary and habitat reconstruction of extinct organisms, sirenian and cetacean evolution, geochemical analysis of fossil remains, modern ecosystem studies, nutritional ecology, manatee feeding habits, desert tortoise ecology
Alumni: Morgan Churchill
Department Head and Associate Professor
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management
(307) 766-2552 | tcollier@uwyo.edu
Areas of study and research: insect ecology, biological control, applied entomology, host specificity in biological control agents, behavioral ecology of insects, population ecology, weed management, non-target species impact, parasitoid wasp interactions, parasitoid-host food webs, species coexistence, invasive species control
Alumni: Rebecca Upjohn
Associate Professor
Department of Zoology and Physiology
Science Initiative 4210
Areas of study and research: freshwater ecosystem ecology, elemental cycling, food web dynamics, water quality, ecological patterns and processes, temperate and tropical freshwater ecosystems, large-scale ecological synthesis, human impacts on aquatic ecosystems, land-use change, climate change effects on freshwater systems, interdisciplinary ecological research
Professor
Department of Geology and Geophysics
SIB B03
(307) 766-2819 | ecurrano@uwyo.edu
Areas of study and research: paleoecology, fossil plants, ancient forest ecosystems, environmental perturbations, taxonomic diversity, ecosystem structure, plant-insect interactions, biogeography, climate change impacts on ecosystems, Paleogene climate change, hothouse climate periods, evolution of terrestrial ecosystems, East African ecosystems, field-based and specimen-based research, interdisciplinary collaboration, science outreach, gender and diversity in science
Alumni: Lauren Azevelo-Schmidt
Professor and L. Floyd Clarke Chair
Department of Zoology and Physiology
Bio Sciences 412
(307) 314-9833 | michael.dillon@uwyo.edu
Areas of study and research: physiological ecology, organism-environment interactions, insect physiology, flight physiology, thermal physiology, alpine ecosystems, overwintering physiology, native bee ecology, climate variation impacts on organism physiology, fieldwork, laboratory experiments, ecological modeling, insect adaptation to diverse environments
Alumni: Susma Giri, Kennan Oyen
Timberline Associate Professor of Sustainable Outdoor Recreation and Tourism
Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources
Areas of study and research: collaborative governance of wildlife and land (public and private), climate adaptation through participatory research, hunter and angler experiences, recruitment-retention-reactivation (R3), the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, public policy for access and diversification in hunting and angling, and trout conservation in the context of climate and social systems
Professor and Department Head
Aven Nelson 120
(307) 766-6745 | beewers@uwyo.edu
Areas of study and research: plant physiology, mass and energy fluxes in plants, plant organ to landscape scale processes, nonvascular plant ecology, woody and herbaceous plant physiology, forest ecosystem processes, bark beetle-induced mortality, vegetation and hydrological cycle, plant stress responses, plant genetics, environmental stress impacts on plants
Alumni: Julia Angstmann, John Frank, Kusum Naithani, David Reed, Heather Speckman
Assistant Professor
Department of Zoology and Physiology
BS 411
(307) 314-9204 | wfetzer@uwyo.edu
Areas of study and research: fisheries management, freshwater ecosystems, aquatic food webs, anthropogenic perturbations, climate change, invasive species, eutrophication, spatial and temporal ecological responses, direct and indirect ecological drivers, conservation science, stakeholder engagement, management and policy development, isotope tracers, organismal ecology, population ecology, community ecology
Assistant Professor
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management
Ag 2007
Areas of study and research: forest ecology, tree mortality, disturbance ecology, western landscapes, climate impacts on forests, forest management, ecological processes, forest structure and function, forest resilience, field-based monitoring, remote sensing, process-based simulation models, science-based management, public land policy
Assistant Professor
Areas of study and research: dendroecology, community ecology, tree survival mechanisms, forest change, climate change, disturbance regimes, bark beetles, invasive pathogens, fire ecology, forest composition and structure, edaphic features, tree anatomical characteristics, tree mortality causes, forest resilience and resistance, climatological and environmental impacts on forests, forest community dynamics, tree-enemy interactions, ecosystem state changes
Assistant Professor
Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies
Areas of study and research: philosophy of biology, metaphysics of science, biological explanation, the relationship between biological practice and metaphysical theory, reflective equilibrium between science and philosophy, and the role of metaphysical principles in scientific reasoning
Associate Professor
Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources
Department of Zoology and Physiology
Areas of study and research: population ecology, community ecology, species distribution, environmental change, animal roles in ecosystems, human-environment interactions, conservation, land management, policy implications, ecological theory, applied ecology, mammalian carnivores, carnivore ecology, rangeland and forest ecosystems, wildlife management, species-environment relationships, theoretical and applied research integration, multidisciplinary collaboration
Associate Professor
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management
AG C 2
(307) 766-5587 | khufford@uwyo.edu
Areas of study and research: restoration ecology, conservation biology, evolutionary ecology, plant adaptation, local adaptation, population-level variation, genetic diversity, plant community sustainability, native plant restoration, spatial ecology, intraspecific hybridization, molecular genetics, bioinformatics, selection patterns, ecological genetics, plant population dynamics, community ecology, long-term restoration outcomes, adaptation to local environments, field and genomic approaches
Assistant Professor
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management
Ag C 2008
(307) 766-5407 | jirisarr@uwyo.edu
Areas of study and research: rangeland ecology, energy transfer in grazing systems, satellite-based estimation of aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP), forage quality (e.g., crude protein content), remote sensing, impacts of extreme events on ANPP, and development of accessible ecological data applications
Professor and Leader of the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Unit
Department of Zoology and Physiology
(307) 766-5415 | mkauffm1@uwyo.edu
Areas of study and research: wildlife ecology, population dynamics, demography, community ecology, trophic interactions, herbivory, predation, landscape ecology, applied conservation, large mammal ecology, carnivore-prey dynamics, ungulate ecology, predator-prey relationships, ecological restoration, conservation management, elk and wolf interactions, raptor recovery, wildlife management, range management, ecological monitoring, cooperative research, Rocky Mountain ecosystems, field-based ecology, human-wildlife interaction, conservation biology
Alumni: Ellen Aikens, Brett Jesmer, Doug Keinath, Arthur Middleton, Anna Ortega
Research Scientist
Department of Zoology and Physiology
BS 404
Areas of study and research: animal behavior, behavioral ecology, bioacoustics, ecological statistics, quantitative behavioral analysis, physiology, stress hormones, tropical ornithology, predator-prey interactions, climate vulnerability, phenotypic plasticity, complex phenotypes, natural selection, ecological modeling, artificial intelligence in ecology, deep learning, causal AI, field-based behavioral research, tropical birds, jumping spiders, Panama, Hawaii, conservation behavior, environmental stressors, evolutionary ecology, selective pressures, competition, predation, species interactions, behavioral adaptation, interdisciplinary ecology
Associate Professor
Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources
Crane Hall, Rm 143
Areas of study and research: climate change adaptation, conservation, livelihoods, social-ecological systems, indigenous knowledge, Western landscapes, rangelands, sense of place, sustainability, human-ecological interactions
Dean and Professor
Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources
Kendall House, Rm 201
(307) 766-5080 | jkoprows@uwyo.edu
Areas of study and research: ecology, conservation biology, biodiversity management, community-based conservation, wildlife management, international conservation, applied ecology, mammals, environmental policy, sustainability
Associate Professor
Department of Zoology and Physiology
BS 400B
Areas of study and research: parasitology, invasion biology, ecological stoichiometry, host-parasite interactions, evolutionary ecology, aquatic ecology, life history evolution, freshwater ecosystems, non-native species, trophic dynamics
Alumni: Michele Larson
Professor
(307) 766-4393 | daniel.laughlin@uwyo.edu
Areas of study and research: quantitative ecology, plant communities, global change, trait-based models, ecological processes, community assembly, species interactions, environmental gradients, ecosystem restoration
Alumni: Alice Stears, David Atkins
Professor
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Department of Zoology and Physiology
Ross Hall 217
(307) 766-3395 | rliu1@uwyo.edu
Areas of study and research: mathematical biology, differential equations, dynamical systems, infectious disease modeling, ecological systems, deterministic models, theoretical analysis, numerical simulations, quantitative behaviors, biological interpretations
Professor
Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies
Ross Hall 129
(307) 766-4260 | lockwood@uwyo.edu
Areas of study and research: environmental ethics, natural resource ethics, environmental justice, philosophy, creative non-fiction, nature writing, interdisciplinary studies, religion and science, transcendental tradition, intellectual pluralism, pragmatism, panentheism
Alumni: Christa Cooper Summer
Associate Professor, Knobloch Professor in Migration Ecology and Conservation
Department of Zoology and Physiology
Bio Sciences 422
(307) 766-5448 | jmerkle@uwyo.edu
Areas of study and research: movement ecology, migration ecology, fitness consequences of behavior, cognition, innovation in foraging behavior, large mammal conservation, landscape-level ecological processes
Professor
Department of Geology and Geophysics
Earth Sciences Bldg, Rm 3020
(307) 766-2925 | minckley@uwyo.edu
Areas of study and research: paleoecology, past climate change, arid and semi-arid ecosystems, drought, floods, fires, pollen analysis, macrobotanical remains, charcoal analysis, desert wetland dynamics, grassland change, forest resilience, fire regimes, climate change analogs
Professor
Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources
Crane Hall, Rm 103
(307) 766-2322 | kmonteit@uwyo.edu
Areas of study and research: nutritional ecology, field studies of large ungulates, behavior, growth, reproductive allocation, predator-prey dynamics, population growth, habitat-based management, predation, habitat alteration, climate change, migration tactics, disturbance ecology
Alumni: Ellen Aikens, Tayler LaSharr, Rachel Smiley
Professor of Agroecology and Agroecosystem Biogeochemistry
Ag Bldg 4014
(307) 766-5196 | unorton@uwyo.edu
Areas of study and research: ecosystem resiliency, ecosystem sustainability, biogeochemistry, nitrogen cycling, carbon cycling, agroecology, sustainable food production, climate variability, ecosystem services, greenhouse gas emissions, soil organic matter, conservation agriculture, forest regeneration, nutrient cycling, sustainable farming systems
Alumni: Liana Boggs Lynch, Chloe Mattilio
Assistant Professor
Areas of study and research: community ecology, biodiversity patterns, spatio-temporal variability, species coexistence, spatial patterning, population synchrony, community synchrony, complex systems science, ecological modeling, experimental ecology
Professor
Department of Geology and Geophysics
ESB 2010
(307) 766-6442 | bshuman@uwyo.edu
Areas of study and research: paleoclimate reconstruction, lake-level change, water availability, ecosystem composition, vegetation history, fire history, geochemical analysis, disturbance ecology, landscape modeling, climate change impacts, sedimentary records, long-term ecosystem dynamics
Alumni: John Calder
Research Scientist & Instructional Professor
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management
Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center
AG C 331
(307) 766-2721 | sivan@uwyo.edu
Areas of study and research: vegetation mapping, vegetation condition monitoring, land cover change, remote sensing, multispectral data, satellite imagery, airborne imagery, spatial resolution analysis, spectral resolution analysis, scale effects, earth surface feature mapping, international field sites
Associate Professor, Robert B. Berry Chair
Department of Zoology and Physiology
Biological Sciences 400
Areas of study and research: ecology, evolution, behavior of resident birds, individual fitness, population demography, rainfall effects, habitat fragmentation, juvenile bird behavior, recruitment, invasive species, seed dispersal, life history trade-offs, bird personalities, long-term avian studies
Alumni: Samuel Case, Rebecca Wilcox
Head of Invertebrate Zoology Program
Wyoming Natural Diversity Database
(307) 766-3115 | tronstad@uwyo.edu
Areas of study and research: aquatic invertebrates, pollinating insects, rare and imperiled species, ecosystem ecology, insect-plant interactions, pollination networks, aquatic ecology, climate impacts, parasitism, conservation biology, applied ecology, ecological monitoring, ecological modeling, Yellowstone Lake, wind facility impacts on insects, isotopes and nutrient dynamics
Associate Professor
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management
AG 1014
(307) 766-2781 | linda.vandiepen@uwyo.edu
Areas of study and research: soil microbial communities, nutrient cycling, carbon cycling, ecosystem responses to disturbance, plant-microbe interactions, forest restoration after wildfire, soil remediation of contaminated mine lands, microbial interactions with invasive plant species (e.g., cheatgrass), and effects of forest pathogens on soil microbial community dynamics
Alumni: Gordon Custer, Liana Boggs Lynch
Associate Professor
Berry Center 144
Areas of study and research: speciation, diversification, population genetics, genomics, phylogenetics, comparative biology, and macroevolutionary patterns of biodiversity
Alumni: Jimena Golcher-Benavides, Jessica Rick
Associate Professor
Department of Zoology and Physiology
Wyoming Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit
Biological Sciences 423
(307) 766-5473 | awalter8@uwyo.edu
Areas of study and research: resistance and resilience of aquatic communities, flow alteration, climate change, nutrient loading, energy development, aquatic ecosystem conservation and management, field observation, experimentation, ecological modeling, fish conservation, and fisheries management.
Alumni: Gabe Barrile, Richard Walker, Jeff Baldock
Professor
SIB 4264
Areas of study and research: quantitative trait variation, genetic mechanisms of adaptation, competition, circadian rhythms, adaptation to seasonal environments, genetic basis of floral morphology, molecular genetics, natural selection, and the intersection of ecology, evolution, and genetics
Alumni: Charley Hubbard, Matthew Rubin, Yulia Yarkhunova, Alexander Hollander
Assistant Professor
Science Initiative, 3210
Areas of study and research: eco-evolutionary dynamics, global change biology, rapid evolution, spatial dynamics of ecological and evolutionary processes, invasive species, species range expansions, climate-driven range shifts, theoretical ecological modeling, laboratory experiments with model organisms, and conservation in the context of climate change
Professor
Berry Center 308, 222A
(307) 766-2494 | dgw@uwyo.edu
Areas of study and research: plant-environment interactions, savanna ecosystems, grassland ecosystems, desert ecosystems, plant roles in water cycling, carbon cycling, nitrogen cycling, cellular to ecosystem-scale processes, short- and long-term ecological timescales, and responses of water-limited ecosystems to climate change, atmospheric chemistry changes, and shifts in vegetation composition
Alumni: Janet Chen, Jiemin Guo, Abigail Hoffman
Assistant Professor
Department of Zoology and Physiology
Areas of study and research: elevational migration, behavioral and physiological adaptation across elevation gradients, evolutionary ecology and ecophysiology of birds, genomic and transcriptomic responses to elevation, organismal plasticity and adaptation, spatial patterns of biodiversity across abiotic gradients
Professor Emeritus
Department of Zoology and Physiology
Alumni: Adam Siepielski, Lauren Talluto, Cody Porter
Professor Emeritus
Department of Zoology and Physiology
Alumni: Emiliano Donadio, Jonathan Pauli, Arthur Middleton
Professor Emeritus
Department of Veterinary Sciences
Professor Emeritus
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management
Professor Emeritus
Department of Botany
Alumni: Mark Lesser, Rachel Jones, Yao Liu
Professor Emeritus
Department of Zoology and Physiology
Alumni: Mikey Tabak
Professor Emeritus
Department of Zoology and Physiology
Professor Emeritus
Department of Zoology and Physiology
Alumni: Eriek Hansen, Bryan Maitland, Mark KirkDan Gibson-Reinemer
Professor Emeritus
Department of Botany
Alumni: Jason Edwards
Professor Emeritus
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management
Alumni: Caley Gasch, Ramesh Sapkota, Michael Curran
Associate Professor Emeritus
Department of Botany, Ecosystem Science and Management, Environment and Natural Resources
Alumni: David McKenzie, Paige Copenhaver Parry, Kellen Nelson
The PIEE Faculty consists of individuals who are active and productive researchers in ecology, committed to rigorous training of doctoral students in ecology and members of the UW graduate faculty. We welcome inquiries and applications from interested UW faculty.
Status as a tenured or tenure-track assistant professor, associate professor, or professor or status as an extended-term-track or extended-term academic professional at the University of Wyoming.
Evidence of exception progress on the following in Ecology and/or Evolution:
Publication of refereed articles in distinguished journals*
Acquisition of grants and contracts
Courses taught at the university level relating to ecology and/or evolution
Mentoring of graduate students
Providing professional services to form leadership in the field
*All faculty applicants must meet the publication criterion. Assistant professors and academic professionals must meet at least one of these four benchmarks. Associate professors must meet at least two benchmarks, and full professors must meet at least three. Please refer to the bylaws for more information.
Interested parties are encouraged to contact the director, Dr. Melanie Murphy, via email melanie.murphy@uwyo.edu or by phone (307) 314-9873. Applications should consist of a current CV, copies of 3-5 recent publications in ecology and/or evolution and a brief letter of interest. All materials will be reviewed by the Program in Ecology and Evolution's Steering Committee for approval.
Melanie Murphy (Director, Chair)
David Tank (Botany)
Tucker Furnis (ESM)
Michael Dillon (Zoology and Physiology)
Katie Wagner (Botany)
Riley Bernard (Chair, Zoology and Physiology)
Sara Germain (Botany)
Topher Weiss-Lehman (Botany)
Ellen Currano (Geology)
Matt Carling (Zoology and Physiology)
Lusha Tronstad (Chair)
Lauren Shoemaker (Botany, Co-Chair)
David Christianson (ESM)
Amy Krist (Zoology and Physiology)
Jerod Merkel (Zoology and Physiology)
Faculty
Daniel Laughlin (Chair, Botany)
Tom Minkley (Geology)
Melanie Murphy (ESM)
Students
Dave Atkins
Britt Hays (Treasurer)
Melanie Torres (Treasurer)
Support Staff
Danette Altergott (Accountant)
Debbie Swierczek (Program Coordinator)
Eldredge "Biff" Bermingham (Director, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama)
Carol Brewer (Professor of Biological Sciences and Associate Dean of Arts & Sciences, University of Montana)
Robert D. Holt (Arthur R. Marshall Chair in Ecology, University of Florida)
Edward Johnson (Director, Biosciences Institute; Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary)
Alan K. Knapp (Professor of Biology and Senior Ecologist, Colorado State University)
William K. Michener (Associate Director, U.S. Long-Term Ecological Research Network)
Emily Stanley (Associate Professor of Limnology and Zoology, University of Wisconsin)
Program in Ecology and Evolution | Interdisciplinary Program
Dr. Melanie Murphy
Director, Program in Ecology and Evolution
Debbie Swierczek
Program Coordinator
School of Graduate Education
Knight Hall 247
Phone: (307) 766-4128
Email: ecology@uwyo.edu