First name,Last name,Preferred title,Overview,Position,Department,Individual
Whitney,Garney,Associate Professor,"My expertise is in community-based research and evaluation, with an emphasis in ecological and systems approaches to public health problems. research has examined community-based approaches to cardiovascular disease prevention, teenage pregnancy prevention, maternal and child health, smoking cessation, access to mental health services, and physical activity in rural communities.",Assistant Professor||Associate Professor,Kinesiology and Sport Management||School of Public Health,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n019e4b92
James,Muir,Professor,"I teach graduate courses at Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX 76401. I mentor MSc & PhD students at various universities around the world. My research program focuses on grassland ecology, mostly at the plant-animal interface, with special emphasis on legumes. Topics include grassland restoration, ecosystems services, native legume domestication and the role of condensed tannins in ruminant systems.
I have current cooperative research projects in Tanzania, Botswana and Brazil. In the past I have worked extensively in Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, Malawi, Argentina and Portugal.",Regents Professor||Regents Professor,"Texas A&M AgriLife Research||Tarleton State University - (Stephenville, Texas, United States)",https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n08762c08
Paul,Morley,Professor and Director of Research,"Dr. Morley is an epidemiologist and veterinary internal medicine specialist that studies infectious diseases affecting animals and people. Major emphasis for his professional activities includes using analytical epidemiology to improve our understanding and control of diseases in animals and people, investigating the ecology of pathogens and antimicrobial resistance determinants in animals and food production systems, and using infection control and biosecurity to manage health risks that are important in veterinary medicine, agriculture, and public health. Most recently he has used metagenomic methods to investigate the effects of agriculture production practices on antimicrobial resistance and microbial ecology as these affect human, animal, and ecosystem health. In 2019, he was appointed the Director of Research for VERO - the Veterinary Education, Research & Outreach Program - in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University. In this role, he supports the growth of research programs for all VERO faculty, supervises and provides oversight for research staff and laboratories, and promotes research exposure programs for veterinary and undergraduate students. Previously, Dr. Morley served for 20 years as Professor of Epidemiology and the Director of Infection Control at Colorado State University's Veterinary Teaching Hospital. He is a recognized authority on infection control in animal populations and has consulted on infection control and biosecurity issues at veterinary hospitals, veterinary colleges, and animal production facilities around the world.",Professor and Director,Large Animal Clinical Sciences,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n0b0778fb
Elizabeth,Pierson,Professor,"Dr. Pierson's areas of research include plant-microbe interactions, biological control, and sustainable agriculture. She also conducts research related to zebra chip disease of potato, microbe-insect interactions, and terrestrial plant ecology. She teaches the undergraduate course Garden Science and the graduate course Plant-associated Microorganisms, which is available to students in three different graduate programs. Dr. Pierson is active in graduate education, currently serving as a member of the Horticultural Sciences Graduate Program Committee and the MEPS admissions committee and as the advisor for the Horticulture Graduate Council. She also serves as a chair or member of graduate research committees and provides undergraduate laboratory research experience.",Professor||Adjunct Professor,Plant Pathology and Microbiology||Horticultural Sciences,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n1757e534
Donald,Brightsmith,Associate Professor,"My research focuses on the conservation, ecology, health, and welfare of parrots and their relatives in both the wild and captivity.",Professor||Associate Professor,Veterinary Pathobiology||Veterinary Pathobiology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n19a331cf
Susie,Dai,Associate Professor,"My research group is interested in evaluating environmental hazard substances, their interactions with the environment and species, and biological systems that can degrade and detoxify the pollutants. We have established broad analytical platforms to survey a wide spectrum of natural or man-made toxic chemicals such as mycotoxins, microcystins, agricultural, and industrial chemicals.
We integrate electrocatalysis/photoelectrocatalytic processes and material engineering with biological systems for 1) chemical degradation and 2) energy storage. Meanwhile, our laboratory has built a modern analytical tool suite, which includes mass spectrometry-based platforms for monitoring and surveillance, hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry for protein structure dynamics analysis, and gel free mass spectrometry-based proteomics analysis. We develop qualitative and quantitative methods for molecular characterizations, protein analysis and proteomics when working in different environmental systems.",Associate Professor,Plant Pathology and Microbiology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n27690618
Stephen,Webb,Research Assistant Professor,"Stephen Webb, Ph.D., is a research assistant professor in the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute and the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management. His research focuses primarily on game and large mammal species such as white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, bighorn sheep, domestic cattle and wild pigs. He uses advanced and novel tracking and sensor devices, including autonomous recording units, to develop behaviorally and spatially explicit models of animal movement, habitat selection, animal interaction and changes in population demographics. Webb is the current book review editor for the ""Journal of Wildlife Management,"" and has served as associate editor for ""Rangeland Ecology and Management."" He enjoys teaching about rigorous research design and analysis as well as scientific writing and publishing. Webb is a 7th generation Texan who enjoys spending as much time as possible with his wife and daughter. He also enjoys hunting, fishing and nature photography.",Research Assistant Professor,"Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management||Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences",https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n28412a74
Asko,Noormets,Professor,,Professor,Ecology and Conservation Biology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n2e5b93a0
Antonietta,Quigg,Associate Vice President,"The lab's research is focused on phytoplankton as model organisms to address questions related to water, climate and energy. We use quantitative experimental approaches to elucidate the importance of biotic and abiotic factors influencing phytoplankton dynamics (community composition, physiology, ecology) in field and laboratory-settings. It is collaborative, multidisciplinary and international (see publications list). However, does not follow the 20th century paradigm of striving to be the best in a narrowly defined field. Rather, our research paradigm is to continuously generate new ideas and new collaborations and alliances, which is needed to do well in the 21st century. In this way, the research we perform in the lab is capacity building for a new generation, with whom I have a strong commitment.
One of the greatest challenges facing the world today is ensuring an adequate supply and quality of water to meet rapidly increasing human needs whilst securing the continued health of our waterways. The goal of much of the lab's research is to understand and predict interactions between water systems, climate change, land use and ecosystem function and services in estuaries and coasts. We are working predominately in the Gulf of Mexico, Galveston Bay and other Texas bayous to address these concerns, but also have studies with colleagues in other regions of the world. A parallel goal is addressing emerging issues for the 21st century, including but not limited to, the fate and transport of engineered nanoparticles, oil pollutants and other man-made materials in the environment. Phytoplankton are directly and indirectly impacted by these pollutants, such that there is an increased potential for bioaccumulation and biomagnification to higher trophic levels. The potential phytoplankton protective and detoxifying mechanisms are also of interest.",Associate Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies||Professor||Professor,Texas A&M University at Galveston||Oceanography||Marine Biology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n3641a7b1
Charles,Criscione,Professor,"I examine fundamental ecological and evolutionary questions in parasite systems and consider my research to be at the interface of ecology, evolution, and genetics. Parasitology provides a rich subject area for studies of ecology and evolutionary biology. Numerous topics such as ecosystem dynamics, mating systems, or coevolution can be addressed because parasites are extremely diverse. By diversity, I include not only the myriad of taxa that have independently evolved a parasitic lifestyle, but also the diversity in life cycles, modes of reproduction, host species, and ecosystems utilized by parasites. This diversity also allows for comparative studies to address theories or unifying principles that span ecosystems or taxonomic groups. Furthermore, there are many practical applications such as studying the evolution of drug resistance, or using parasite community structure to assess ""ecosystem health"". My research interests address both basic and applied questions, and span three overlapping subject areas: 1) Evolution: Population Genetics, Mating Systems, and Molecular Epidemiology, 2) Ecology: Biodiversity, Conservation, and Natural History, and 3) Genetics and Ecological Genomics.",Professor,Biology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n41a8b584
Michelle,Lawing,Associate Professor,"Dr. Lawing is an Associate Professor in the Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology. She is primarily interested in using methods and models from modern ecology and evolutionary biology combined with evidence from the fossil record to inform our understanding of how species and communities respond to environmental change through time. Her work includes the investigation of geographic, evolutionary, and morphological responses of species and communities to environmental changes in the Late Pleistocene and throughout the Miocene to present. She is involved in developing species distribution models (SDM), geometric morphometric methods (GMM), and phylogenetic comparative methods (PCM). Before becoming an Assistant Professor, Dr. Lawing was a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS). She earned a PhD double major in Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior and in Geological Sciences from Indiana University, Bloomington.",Associate Professor,Ecology and Conservation Biology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n4d1c74b5
Thomas,Boutton,Professor,"Dr. Boutton is interested in the ecology of grassland and savanna ecosystems, particularly the impacts of land cover/land use changes on ecosystem processes (productivity, decomposition, biogeochemistry, hydrology). At present, most of his work is oriented towards understanding the influence of woody plant invasion into grasslands and savannas on biogeochemistry and soil biology. He is also interested in understanding ecosystem responses to global changes predicted for the future. The effects of climate, land use, and atmospheric composition on ecosystem structure and function are being investigated at time scales ranging from a few years (contemporary ecosystems) to thousands of years (paleo ecosystems), and spatial scales ranging from the soil aggregate to the landscape. Dr. Boutton also serves as Director of the Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry Laboratory, and teaches two graduate level courses (ESSM 600 - Principles of Ecosystem Science and Management, and ESSM 622 - Biogeochemistry of Terrestrial Ecosystems).",Regents Professor & Sid Kyle Endowed Chair,Ecology and Conservation Biology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n50abe2cc
Lee,Fitzgerald,Professor and Curator,"My program is best described as evolutionary ecology and conservation biology of amphibians and reptiles. I use reptiles and amphibians as study systems at the community and landscape level to address the general questions, ""What are mechanisms influencing the fit between organism and environment?"", and ""How do community-level processes influence species persistence and distribution of species across the landscape?"" This program addresses various conservation issues, for example, habitat requirements of single species, determinants of local and regional diversity, or mechanisms determining the fate of invasive and native species.",Professor and Curator,Ecology and Conservation Biology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n65c121ba
Laura,Jurgens,Assistant Professor,"I study community and ecosystem resilience in coastal oceans and estuaries.My lab works to uncover key processes and interactions that maintain biodiversity and the function of coastal marine ecosystems in the face of multiple stressors. These include increasing climate variability, extreme events, reductions in important species like predators and habitat-formers, and species invasions. Our focus on extreme event ecology includes effects of major storms, heat waves, low-oxygen events, harmful algal blooms, and diseases. We use field and lab experiments, environmental and biodiversity monitoring, data synthesis and theory to investigate these processes in a variety of marine ecosystems, urban and remote, intertidal and subtidal, temperate and tropical. We also help build the science needed to support sustainable invertebrate fisheries. We're especially interested in helping small-scale and traditional fisheries weather the increasing uncertainty of global change.",Assistant Professor,Marine Biology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n70f0f1e7
Sheila,Kitchen,Assistant Professor,"I am molecular ecologist that integrates field, laboratory and computational tools to address fundamental questions surrounding interspecies interactions and their persistence in a changing world.My goal is to transform these results into applied solutions for conservation.",Assistant Professor,Marine Biology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n713c4310
Daniel,Roelke,Professor,Why is it that so many microscopic organisms can be found in a single drop of water? And how is it that these minute species can shape entire ecosystems? How might our knowledge of ecological principals governing these microbes be used to protect our living natural resources? Teaching and Research in the Roelke Lab addresses these questions. Understanding lower foodweb dynamics of aquatic ecosystems with an emphasis on interactions between biota and the physicochemical environment is the focus of much of this research.,Professor and Department Head,Marine Biology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n7db49674
Jason,Sylvan,Associate Professor,"Microbes are the major mediators of biogeochemical cycles on earth. Although tiny, their metabolisms have global implications. My research focuses on two aspects of microbial ecology - interactions between the ocean crust and marine microbes, and the impact of anthropogenic influence on marine microbes. I determine the effect microbial communities have on biogeochemical cycles in a variety of settings through quantification of microbial biomass, analysis of microbial diversity and function, and measurement of microbial activity. My research is interdisciplinary and involves collaboration with chemists, geologists and biological oceanographers.",Associate Professor,Oceanography,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n7fb1298a
Raul,Medina,Professor,Dr. Medina's research centers around the role that ecological factors play in the population genetics of arthropods. He is particularly interested in the incorporation of evolutionary ecology considerations into pest control practices. His laboratory is currently assessing how species interactions at macroscopic (host-parasite interactions) and microscopic (arthropod microbiomes) levels interact with genetic variation of agricultural pests and arthropod vectors of human disease. His research team is exploring if the same principles governing insect herbivores' adaptation to their hosts translate into arthropod parasites of animals. He is also interested in understanding the factors that make some biotechnology innovations in agriculture controversial in the public sphere.,Professor,Entomology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n807b8d90
Sanjay,Antony Babu,Assistant Professor,"Plants are in constant interactions with a large diversity of microorganisms, that belong to various biological kingdoms including archaea, bacteria, fungi and protista. In nature, these inter-kingdom interactions can be both cooperative and detrimental to the host-plants. My major research focus is to understand the dynamics of inter-kingdom microbiome-interactions and how it affects the crop production. We use cutting-edge culture-independent (metagenomics, metatranscriptomics and metabolomics) and culture-dependent (culturomics) methods combined with computational biology. We especially employ a systematics-based approach, so that we can identify individual organisms involved in these interactions, their biological functions, impacts on neighboring niches, and metabolic activity.
Current research projects
The research has several direct biotechnological applications, and the research in our lab focuses on the following:
1. Develop bioferlitizers/biopesticides: By disentangling the microbial functions that are essential for different growth stages of crop plants, we intend to develop ""soil probiotics"" to improve crop health. In order to achieve this, we study natural ecosystems and wild plants related to crops. The technology developed will be sustainable and environmentally friendly. Our current research focuses on developing microbial inoculum assemblages from teosinte (ancestor of modern maize) and transferring the microbiota to maize to improve pest and pathogen resistance.
2. Pathobiomes of plants: The concept of pathobiome is an emerging field in pathogen biology. In recent times, it has been noted that pathogens do not act alone in natural ecosystems, but along with a mob of other microorganisms. Deciphering the interaction between a plant pathogen and its associated microbiomes is necessary to understand pathogensis and also to design control measures. Research in my lab specifically focusses on mycosphere bacterial microbiota of pathogenic fungi. Our recent research focusses on pathobiomes associated with Fusarium wilt of cotton.
3. Indicators of microbial dysbiosis: Dysbiosis is a microbial imbalance caused by perturbation in an ecosystem or a niche. Plant microbiomes experience dysbiosis during biotic (disease) and abiotic (drought, flooding, heat etc) stress. We study dysbiosis to understand shift in microbial processes, detect stress indicators and design stress alleviation measures including developing microbial inoculum (biofertilizers).",Assistant Professor,Plant Pathology and Microbiology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n809679df
Antonio,Rene,Associate Professor,,Associate Professor,Environmental and Occupational Health,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n8911bceb
Anna,Armitage,Professor,"Dr. Anna Armitage is a broadly trained community ecologist with over 20 years of experience working in coastal wetlands. Her research utilizes multivariate, interdisciplinary field studies to study trophic interactions and anthropogenic impacts in coastal wetland habitats, including marshes, mangroves, and seagrasses. Her current research projects include studies about the effects of nutrient enrichment on ecological interactions and processes in the mangrove-marsh ecotone and other coastal wetland habitats. She has extensive experience conducting large-scale field surveys and managing and analyzing complex datasets. She has published over 60 peer-reviewed papers and has supervised numerous graduate and undergraduate students and postdoctoral research scholars.",Professor||Professor,Ecology and Conservation Biology||Marine Biology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n99566a91
Amanda,Adams,Adjunct Faculty,,Adjunct Faculty||Senior Lecturer,Biology||College of Arts and Sciences,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/nad7c1e41
Ty,Werdel,Assistant Professor,"My research interests include the fields of Wildlife Management and Landscape Ecology. This work addresses questions that provide insight into the relationships between wildlife, native environments, and contemporary human-modified landscapes.",Assistant Professor,"Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management||Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences",https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/nd1a05b9b
X. Ben,Wu,Professor,"The current research of Dr. Wu's lab is focused on the spatial ecology and pyric herbivory in savanna landscapes and associated education program focused on educator development and educational innovations. Other recent projects include landscape biogeochemistry of savanna systems, ecology of terracette landscapes, and authentic scientific inquiries in introductory ecology courses and their effects on student learning.",Professor,Ecology and Conservation Biology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/ne4645fcf
Kevin,Heinz,Professor,,Professor,Entomology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/ne7bef20e
Xuejun,Dong,Associate Professor,"My program focuses on understanding soil-plant water relations and root/shoot processes for crop management in water-limited cropping systems. The leading research areas include (a) understanding plant biotic and abiotic stresses associated with water deficit and plant adaptation processes; (b) analyzing crop systems and developing new technologies to minimize risk, improve productivity and enhance soil quality and water conservation. I am currently serving as a guest-lecturer to a new graduate course, ""Root Biology"", which is cross-listed in MEPS and HORT at Texas A&M, College Station.",Associate Professor||Associate Professor,Uvalde Research and Extension Center||Texas A&M AgriLife Research,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/nec170ca9
Thomas,Iliffe,Professor,"For the past 40 years, Iliffe has conducted studies of biodiversity, ecology, evolution, and conservation of animals inhabiting saltwater caves. In addition to his extensive cave investigations in Bermuda, he has led biospeleological research expeditions to the Bahamas, Belize, Mexico, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Canary Islands, Iceland, Mallorca, Romania, former Czechoslovakia, Gal?pagos, Hawaii, and numerous locations in the Indo-Pacific. This research has resulted in the discovery of more than 300 new species of marine animals, mostly crustaceans, inhabiting caves in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Indo-Pacific. Iliffe's research has been funded by grants from the National Science Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Geographic Society, among others. He has published 250 papers, including 30 invited book chapters. TV documentaries featuring his cave diving research expeditions can be seen on the National Geographic Channel, BBC, PBS, History Channel, Discovery Channel, and others.",Professor,Marine Biology,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/ned849b62