Tropical Ecology & Evolution (TREE)

Michelle E. Afkhami

Associate Professor

mea187@miami.edu

(305) 284-1796
My lab studies the ecology, evolution, and genomics of species interactions at scales ranging from genes to communities using a combination of long term field and greenhouse experiments, mathematical modeling, and laboratory-based molecular methods. While our research spans all types of interactions, we are especially interested in positive...

Jose Maria Cardoso da Silva

Professor
Chair of Geography and Sustainable Development
Director of Graduate Studies
Secondary Faculty in Biology

jxc1446@miami.edu

(305) 284-6890
A native of Belém, Pará, in the Brazilian Amazon, Dr. José Maria Cardoso da Silva is a biogeographer who studies the relationships between biodiversity conservation and development in tropical regions. Supported by more than 20 years of field experience studying different tropical socio-ecological systems, his research...

‌Don DeAngelis

Research Professor

ddeangelis@miami.edu

(305) 284-1690

Kenneth Feeley

Professor

kxf347@miami.edu

(305) 284-5748
I study the ecology and biogeography of tropical forests. Specifically, my research is focused on how the structure, dynamics, composition, and geographic distribution of tropical forests (and their constituent tree species) are affected by large-scale anthropogenic disturbances such as climate change, deforestation, and habitat fragmentation....

Michael Stephen Gaines

Professor

m.gaines@miami.edu

(305) 284-5058
Michael Gaines is assistant provost of undergraduate research and community outreach. Dr. Gaines is director of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Education Program. The major goal of the program is to increase the number of disadvantaged students in biomedical research careers. He also directs an NIH Bridge Program between the...

Kevin McCracken

Assoc. Professor

kmccrack@miami.edu

(305) 284-9058
AREAS OF FOCUS Evolutionary Biology Tropical Ecology

Christopher A Searcy

Associate Professor

cas383@miami.edu

(305) 284-5412
My lab is engaged in conservation ecology, the use of ecological principles to answer questions related to basic ecological theory, while also informing conservation practices and management of threatened or endangered species. We are particularly interested in utilizing the most up-to-date mathematical models and statistical methods to inform...

Cynthia Silveira

Asst. Professor

cxs1538@miami.edu

(305) 284-6220
My lab studies a long-known but poorly appreciated member of all microbiomes: bacteriophages. Phages, for short, are viruses that infect bacteria and are the most abundant and diverse biological entities on the planet. Yet, we have only scratched the surface of their biological significance: 50 to 90 % of phages genomes sequenced to date have no...

Nikki Traylor-Knowles

Associate Professor
Secondary Faculty in Biology

ngt14@miami.edu

(410) 905-5107
Secondary Faculty in the Department of Biology Nikki Traylor-Knowles is an Associate Professor in Marine Biology and Ecology at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science. She is a cell biologist that studies the evolution of immunity, wound healing, and regeneration. Her lab uses cell biology, genomics,...

Barbara Whitlock

Assoc. Professor

b.whitlock@miami.edu

(305) 284-3512
The primary goal of my research is to understand the origins of plant diversity. I use phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequence data in combination with information from morphology, anatomy, and ecology to understand the timing and direction of changes in floral and vegetative traits, geographic distribution, and diversification rates. My students...

Amy E Zanne

Professor

aez135@miami.edu

A large focus of my work is to examine how biotic interactions impact biogeochemical cycles. Specifically, I explore how plant traits and environmental conditions regulate decay agents (microbes, termites, solar radiation) to impact deadwood and ecosystem scale carbon cycling under current and future climates. I also study global macroevolution...