Systematics at the University of California, Davis

UC Davis has numerous systematists scattered across several departments, with interests ranging from doing alpha taxonomy to inferring the tree of life and from strictly empirical work to strictly theoretical work. This website is an attempt to compile information about UC Davis systematics people and resources in one location.

Graduate programs in systematics
Faculty, postdocs, and students in systematics
Other faculty, postdocs, and students in systematics-related areas
Systematics collections
Organizations/discussions
Major grants (4 AToL grants, 1 PEET grant)
Upcoming talks


UCD graduate programs for students of systematics

Faculty members studying systematics (with Postdocs and Students who do systematics, where known to me):

Sandy Carlson: Brachiopod evolution (paleontology)
Peter Cranston: Chironomids (Diptera)
P Geoff Morse
S Shelah Morita (also with Sanderson): Philoliche long-tongued horse flies
Ellen Dean: Lycianthes (Solanaceae)
Jim Doyle: Angiosperm evolution (paleontology)
Paul Gepts: Crop evolution
Penny Gullan: Coccoidea (scale insects)
P Takumasa (Demien) Kondo: Coccidae (soft scales)
S Janie Booth
S Nate Hardy
S Cory Unruh
Lynn S. Kimsey: Director of the Bohart Museum
Shelley McMahon: Legume evolution; methods of phylogenetic inference
S Annie Sherwood
Steve Nadler: Nematodes
Dan Potter: Phylogeny of crop plants and their relatives
Michael Sanderson: angiosperm systematics; methods to infer tree of life
P Gordon Burleigh: gymnosperm phylogeny
P Amy Driskell: methods to infer tree of life; bird evolution
P Justen Whittall: evolution of flower color
S Shelah Morita (also with Cranston): Philoliche long-tongued horse flies
S Brian O'Meara (also with Ward): Myrmecocystus ants; comparative methods
S Rosita Scherson: Astragalus  (legume)
Brad Shaffer: evolution, ecology, and conservation of reptiles and amphibians
P Rich Glor
P Phil Spinks
S Maureen Ryan
S Wes Savage
S Chris Searcy
S Bob Thomson
S Ian Wang
Art Shapiro: butterfly evolution
Phil Ward: Ant systematics and phylogeny
S Michael Branstetter
S Andrea Lucky
S Brian O'Meara (also with Sanderson): Myrmecocystus ants; comparative methods
S Eli Sarnat: ants of Fiji
S Alex Wild: Linepithema ants (Argentine ants and relatives); other ant groups


Faculty members in areas related to systematics (with Postdocs and Students, where known to me):

Nina Amenta: Computer science (visualizing trees and morphological evolution)
Dan Gusfield: Computer science (phylogenetic networks)
Bruce Rannala: Genome/EVE (Bayesian approaches/bioinformatics/genetics)
Michael Turelli: EVE (genetics/speciation)
Peter Wainwright: EVE (comparative functional morphology)
P Rita Mehta
S Rose Carlson (morphological evolution in darters)
S Dave Collar
S Timothy Higham (functional morphology of feeding and locomotion)
S Dan Warren


Systematics collections

Organizations/discussions

Major Grants

page maintained by Brian O'Meara