News
Fri, 12/19/2025
EEB and KBS-CER alum Camille S. Delavaux named top young plant scientist
The 2025 New Phytologist Tansley Medal for Excellence in Plant Science has been awarded to Camille S. Delavaux. The Tansley Medal is awarded annually in recognition of an outstanding contribution to research in plant science by an individual in the early stages of their career. Delavaux received her Ph.D. in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from the University of Kansas in 2021.
Sat, 11/22/2025
Willadsen places in Top 3 at the 2025 ESA Annual Meeting
EEB Graduate Student Peter Willadsen received second place in the SysEB, Evolution and Systematics session of the graduate poster competition at the Entomological Society of America 2025 Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon. Willadsen’s poster was titled, "Untangling the evolutionary history of the water scavenger beetle subfamily Enochrinae (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae)". Willadsen is a PhD Student in Dr. Rob Moyle’s lab, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB), at KU.
Thu, 10/30/2025
New study explores ‘legacy effects’ of soil microbes on plants across Kansas
Findings from the University of Kansas could offer important context for farmers who want to use beneficial microbes to improve yields. Today, microbial commercialization in agriculture represents an expanding multibillion dollar sector.
Tue, 10/28/2025
2025 Graduate Student Fall Fundraiser
The Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Graduate Student Organization (EEB GSO) is seeking your generous support to help our student biologists pursue opportunities for professional development and engage our local Kansas communities in scientific programming.
Thu, 10/09/2025
Mack is among awardees named on the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology’s (MVZ) 40under40 list!
KU EEB Assistant Professor Katya Mack receives 40 Under 40 award from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. The list highlights 40 alumni of the MVZ who are each under 40 years of age and have made substantial contributions in their chosen career.
Wed, 09/24/2025
Study models how human behavior, lockdowns and restrictions shaped COVID’s spread
Folashade Agusto led research appearing in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One that employs computer modeling and large datasets to better understand how COVID-19 was transmitted in one community in South Africa.
Tue, 09/09/2025
Check out recent publications from the following members of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department!
Congratulations to our colleagues for their research achievements!
Tue, 09/02/2025
Study: Cellophane bees are built for chill temperatures, more so than honeybees
Scholarship from the University of Kansas shows the cellophane bee is specialized by evolution to handle the harsh shocks and cold temperatures of early spring.
Tue, 08/19/2025
Lieberman receives Outstanding Honors Teaching Award
Dr. Bruce Lieberman has been selected as the recipient of an outstanding honors teaching award for the departmental honors course Biology 101.
Tue, 08/12/2025
Center for Community Outreach to host annual Super Service Saturday
All Jayhawks, including faculty and staff, are invited to volunteer at Super Service Saturday to assist area nonprofit organizations. The 2025 event will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 23. Sign up by Aug 22.
Tue, 08/12/2025
Heavy traffic anticipated Aug. 14-15 for KU Housing & Residence Life move-in days
University of Kansas employees and the Lawrence community should anticipate heavy traffic around the Lawrence campus on two days this week — Aug. 14-15 — during KU Housing & Residence Life’s two-day move-in process for its residents.
Wed, 07/23/2025
Researchers unveil evolutionary effects on mammalian species due to extreme environments
New research from the University of Kansas reveals an unexpected way animals adapted to high-altitude environments.
Tue, 07/22/2025
Science on Tap July 23 at Free State Brewing from 7:30-8:30 PM: Talk will explore work of early KU naturalist
Join us at Free State Brewing Company for Science on Tap with Dr. A. Townsend Peterson, Curator of Ornithology at the KU Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum, and University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Event takes place Wednesday, July 23, 2025 from 7:30pm to 8:30 PM at Free State Brewing Company.
Tue, 07/22/2025
Haworth Greenhouse Tours & Plant Sale: July 26 & 27 10 AM-2 PM
From 10:00 AM-2:00 PM Saturday July 26 and Sunday July 27 we’ll be opening Haworth Hall greenhouses to the community for tours. Ever wonder what goes on in a biology research greenhouse? Come and see our research rooms and teaching collection with hundreds of unique species of tropical plants, cacti, water lilies, carnivorous plants, and so much more!
Tue, 07/22/2025
Paleontologists will convene in Kansas to boost sharing and crediting of scholarly data
A conclave of about 20 prominent paleontologists, data scientists and editors from academic journals will gather Aug. 4-5 at the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum to improve how data is shared among professionals in the field — and beyond.
Tue, 07/01/2025
Henry Fitch Memorial Scholarship
Through a generous donation from Biology alumnus Jim Mason, the Henry S. Fitch Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship has been established to support students pursuing studies in the fields of ecology and evolution.
Mon, 06/23/2025
Researchers unearth big possum that lived around 60 million years ago in Texas’ Big Bend National Park
Paleontologists from the University of Kansas have described for the first time a species of Swaindelphys discovered in Texas’ Big Bend National Park, though the ecosystem was drastically different in the Paleocene, when it thrived, than today.
Thu, 06/19/2025
Kansas science teachers to take part in KU Field Station immersive program June 24–26
Ten secondary school science teachers from Kansas will take part in the Ecosystems of Kansas Summer Institute, an immersive program that gives secondary educators the chance to work with KU scientists to explore resources and gain new ideas for their classrooms.
Mon, 06/16/2025
Annual summer solstice tour of KU medicinal garden planned June 20
The public is invited to the summer semiannual tour of the University of Kansas Native Medicinal Plant Research Garden at 7 p.m. June 20, the summer solstice.
Wed, 06/11/2025
University Research Award Spotlight: James Saulsbury
James Saulsbury, postdoctoral researcher in the Biodiversity Institute and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, received the Research Postdoctoral Achievement Award at the University Research Awards ceremony. In the video, Saulsbury talks about his research.
Fri, 05/23/2025
KU announces promotion and tenure for 158 faculty and researchers
Chancellor Douglas A. Girod has approved the promotion and award of tenure, where indicated, for 44 individuals at the University of Kansas Lawrence and Edwards campuses and 114 individuals at the KU Medical Center campus.
Thu, 05/22/2025
Class of 2025 Nominates Stephen Benedict Most Impactful Professor Award Winners
Three winners for the Stephen Benedict Most Impactful Professor Award were announced on Saturday, May 17, 2025 during the Undergraduate Biology Program Recognition Ceremony.
Mon, 01/06/2025
KU campuses to close Monday, January 6, due to inclement weather
The University of Kansas' Lawrence, Edwards and Leavenworth campuses will be closed Monday, January 6, due to winter weather.
Thu, 12/05/2024
Soil health is big business, but KU researchers say many fungal products don't work as promised
There’s no shortage of products designed to grow beneficial fungi that will help your crops or garden. Whether they actually do that, though, is a different matter.
Mon, 12/02/2024
KU Natural History Museum to host a members’ night event featuring research-based exhibits.
Enjoy an evening exploring the natural world with hot chocolate and cookies, and celebrate the grand opening of our newest exhibit, “Fossil Mammals in Turkey.” From fossils to ferrets, there is something for everyone to discover at the KU Natural History Museum during the event Members’ Night: Exploring Research-based Exhibits.
Tue, 10/29/2024
2024 KU EEB Grad Student Fundraiser
The Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Graduate Student Organization (EEB GSO) is seeking your generous support to help our student biologists pursue opportunities for professional development and engage our local Kansas communities in scientific programming.
Tue, 10/22/2024
Science on Tap with Dr. Paulyn Cartwright: Invasion of the Freshwater Jellyfish
This free presentation/Q&A on Wednesday Oct. 23, 7:30-8:30 PM, is open to the public and will be held in the beer hall area at Free State Brewing Company, 636 Massachusetts St., Lawrence, KS. Please note that seating is limited, so we encourage you to arrive early.
Wed, 09/25/2024
Research shows Asia — not Africa — played cradle to snake superfamily that includes cobras, mambas and many common pet species
Based on the fossil record, it’s been assumed that elapoid snakes, found worldwide, had their origins in Africa. But the new University of Kansas study appearing in Royal Society Open Science — which depends on broad genetic sampling as well as fossils — points instead to Asian origins for these snakes.
Wed, 09/18/2024
Fall equinox tour of KU medicinal garden planned Sept. 22
The public is invited to the fall semiannual tour of the University of Kansas Native Medicinal Plant Research Garden at 6 p.m. Sept. 22 on the autumnal equinox.
Tue, 09/17/2024
Science on Tap with Dr. Sharon Billings 9/18: The World’s Mountains are Feeling the Heat
Join us at Free State Brewing Company, 7:30-8:30 PM, Wednesday, September 18, for the next Science on Tap event featuring Dr. Sharon Billings, University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and a senior scientist at the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research. Billings will discuss how forests in the mountains all over the world are changing how they function as the Earth warms.