FACULTY DIRECTORY

(by department, unit or institution, with membership of affiliated graduate program(s) in parentheses)

University of Hawai‘i at Manoa

Department of Anthropology

Christopher J. Bae

School of Life Sciences

Kasey E. Barton (Botany)

Evolutionary ecology

Mark Burgman (Botany)

Conservation biology, environmental and conservation decision-making

Rebecca Chong (Zoology)

Genomics and evolution of symbiotic interactions

Kathleen S. Cole (Marine Biology, Zoology, emerita)

Evolution of sexual patterns; behavioral ecology

Sheila Conant (Marine Biology, Zoology, emerita)

Conservation biology, life history and ecology of Hawaiian birds

Curtis C. Daehler (Botany)

Invasive plants, plant-insect interactions

David Cameron Duffy (Botany, Zoology, emeritus)

Conservation biology (basic and applied)

Mark A. Hixon (Marine Biology, Zoology)
Marine ecology and conservation biology, especially regarding coral-reefs

Matt Knope
Ecology, evolution and conservation biology of plants and animals; evolution of new ecological strategies

Peter B. Marko (Marine Biology, Zoology)
Evolution, biogeography and conservation

Jamie McDevitt-Irwin (Marine Biology, Zoology)
Marine community ecology

Mark D. Merlin (Botany, Geography, emeritus)
Biogeography, ethnobotany, Pacific natural history

Clifford W. Morden (Botany, emeritus)

Molecular systematics and evolution of plants and algae

Megan L. Porter (Marine Biology, Zoology)
Molecular evolution, visual system evolution

Tom Ranker (Botany, emeritus)
Origin and evolution of the flora of oceanic and other islands

Floyd Reed (Zoology)
Population genetics

Alison R. Sherwood (Botany, Marine Biology)
Evolution, systematics and population genetics of Hawaiian algae

Celia M. Smith (Botany, Marine Biology)

Physiological ecology of marine macrophytes, marine ecology

Neusa Steiner (Botany)
Ex situ conservation, seed physiology and storage, in vitro culture and cryopreservation

Andrew D. Taylor (Zoology, emeritus)
Population and community ecology of interspecific interactions; applied statistics

Robert C. Thomson (Zoology) EECB Program Chair
Phylogenetics and conservation

Tamara Ticktin (Botany)
Ethnoecology and conservation

Timothy C. Tricas (Marine Biology, Zoology)
Sensory biology, behavior and behavioral ecology of reef fish

Amber N. Wright (Zoology)

Population, community and behavioral ecology; conservation of reptiles, amphibians and mammals

Department of Cell and Molecular Biology

No current EECB faculty

Department of Geography

 

Qi (Evan) Chen (Geography)
Use of field observations, GIS, remote sensing and ecological modeling for addressing key environmental challenges

Camilo Mora (Geography)
Biogeography, threats to biodiversity, global conservation assessments and methods for macroecology

Department of Geology and Geophysics

Brian N. Popp (Marine Biology, Oceanography)

Stable isotope biogeochemistry, primarily in marine systems

Department of Information and Computer Sciences

Lee Altenberg

Evolutionary computation and theoretical population genetics; Hawaiian dry forest conservation and biosecurity for Hawaii

Lyon Arboretum

Donald R. Drake (Botany)
Plant Ecology, conservation biology, plant-animal interactions

Zak Zahawi
Tropical ecology with a particular focus in restoration ecology

Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB)

Brian W. Bowen (Cell and Molecular Biology, Marine Biology, Zoology)

Phylogeography, evolution and conservation genetics of marine vertebrates

Robert Toonen (Marine Biology, Oceanography, Zoology)

Population biology and larval ecology of marine invertebrates

Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management (NREM)

Travis W. Idol (NREM)

Forest soils and nutrient cycling

Creighton M. Litton (NREM)
Forest ecology

Melissa Price (NREM)
Conservation ecology and genetics

Pacific Biosciences Research Center (PBRC)

Anthony Amend (Botany)
Ecology and biogeography of biotrophic fungal communities

Robert H. Cowie (Zoology)

Biodiversity, invasive species, conservation, extinction; rat lungworm disease and parasitic nematodes

Nicole Hynson (Botany)
Ecological factors that shape plant and fungal communities

Kenneth Y. Kaneshiro (Entomology, Zoology, emeritus)
Sexual selection and biology of small populations

Matthew C. I. Medeiros (Entomology, Zoology)
Ecology and evolutionary biology of infectious disease

Maggie Yuan (Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences)
Climate warming enhances microbial network complexity and stability

Joanne Yew (Cell and Molecular Biology, Molecular Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Zoology)
Neurobiology of chemical communication in Drosophila, biochemistry of lipid pheromones, development of mass spectrometry for lipid analysis

Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit(PCSU)

Jonathon Koch

Conservation, ecology, evolution, entomology, natural resources management; pollinator management

Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences (PEPS)

Daniel Rubinoff (Entomology)
Insect systematics, conservation biology, and the evolution of ecological traits

Mark Wright (Entomology)
Insect biological control, insect conservation, invasive species management

Department of Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences (TPSS)

Michael Kantar (TPSS)

Plant breeding, genetics/genomics, domestication, crop wild relatives

Nhu Nguyen (TPSS)
Soil microbial ecology, diversity and systematics

University of Hawai‘i at Hilo

College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management (CAFNRM)

Lorna H. Arita-Tsutsumi

Behavioral ecology of insects

Department of Biology

Rebecca Ostertag

Community structure and nutrient dynamics; ecosystem function of tropical forests

Affiliate Graduate Faculty

Bishop Museum

Allen Allison (Zoology)

Systematics and population biology

Neal L. Evenhuis (Entomology)
Systematics and evolution of Diptera

Norine W. Yeung
(affiliate in PBRC)
Phylogenetics and conservation of Hawaiian land snails

Hawaii Cooperative Fishery Research Unit

Charles Birkeland (emeritus)
Coral reef ecology and management, marine community ecology

Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources

Lisa Cali Crampton
Ecology and conservation of birds and mammals

National Geographic Pristine Seas

Alan M. Friedlander (NREM)
Nearshore fisheries

STUDENT DIRECTORY

(by graduate program)

University of Hawai‘i at Manoa

Anthropology

• Daniel Cusimano

Botany (School of Life Sciences)

Sam Bosio
Gabe El Hajji
Makoa Elgin
Ana Flores
Kauanoe Greene
Amanda Jennings
Kassandra Jensen
Holden Jones
Emmett Kearns
Neal Kelso
Sebastian Maʻa
Nick Mattson
Emma Piʻianāiʻa
Smrity Ramavarapu
Anna Szalay
Shyla Villanueva
Alison Westberry

Cell and Molecular Biology

• No current EECB students

Entomology (Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences)

• Sami Akiba
• Kyhl Austin
• Jared Bernard
• Meagan Haubner
• Spencer Pote

Geography

• Penmai Chongtoua
• Kira Webster

Marine Biology

• Kacie Kajihara
• Paolo Marra-Biggs
• Sefa Munoz
• Nalani Olguin
• Sophie Paradis
• Syrena Whitner

Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering

• No current EECB students

Natural Resources and Environmental Management

 Claire Atkinis

Oceanography

• No current EECB students

Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences

• Quinn Campbell
• Karen Parada

Zoology (School of Life Sciences)

• • Danielle Bartz
  • Jackie Benson
  • Justin Chan
  • Stefan Cranston
  • Beth Davis
  • Noah Doeden
  • Taylor Ely
  • Diana Gao
  • Jordan Gossett
  • Sophia Hanscom
  • Kylie Holt
  • Mei Iwamoto
  • Mackenzie Jahnke - graduate student rep 2025-6
  • Alison Meeth
  • Karina Moreno
  • Emily Parent
  • Kersten Plicner
  • Trevor Proctor
  • Ives Rdialul
  • Manuel Spor Leal
  • Sarah Stengel
  • Amir Pono Van Gieson - graduate student rep 2025-6
  • Cecile Vimond
  • Mamo Waianuhea
  • Rin Wallace