Drexel University offers both a Master of Science (MS) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Ecology, Evolution and Earth Systems. Each program provides graduate scholars with a comprehensive knowledge of and a solid foundation in technical research skills, hands-on field experience, and the deep critical analysis needed to address the world’s most challenging environmental concerns. Students gain a profound understanding of environmental processes and the broad, worldwide factors that impact them.
Concentrations
- Biodiversity
- Conservation
- Earth Systems
- Ecology
- Environmental Science
- Evolution
Degree Programs
Program Faculty
Department faculty are dedicated mentors who expertly guide graduate students in building programs of study to meet their academic and career interests. Faculty encourage students to immerse themselves in research opportunities, discover world-class facilities and explore essential field sites. In addition, faculty help prepare students to become effective communicators, advocates and leaders who confidently share research findings with their peers and make science more accessible to the public.
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Faculty Member |
Expertise |
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Professor
PISB 324
so356@drexel.edu
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- The O’Donnell Lab
- Brain plasticity and the evolution of brain structure
- Social behavior and division of labor, especially of eusocial Hymenoptera
- Thermal ecology and thermal physiology
- Network models of social group organization
- Behavior and ecology of bird-army ant interactions
- Human-safe insecticides
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Associate Professor of Biology
PISB 320
Mp3754@drexel.edu
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Professor
PISB 325
jar337@drexel.edu
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- Roles of bacterial symbionts in ant evolution
- Function, stability, and dynamics of heritable symbiont communities in aphids
- Genomic mechanisms driving correlations between symbiosis and insect ecology
- Coevolutionary histories between insects and their microbes
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Mentorship Model
The department’s intellectual life centers on graduate students’ innate inquiry, creativity, and energy; our student scientists assertively engage in research, coursework, seminars, journal clubs and scholarly discussions. From the beginning of their course of study, faculty encourage students to immerse themselves in research opportunities, discover world-class facilities and explore essential field sites. These factors enable students to build on their scholarship and contribute to the fields of ecology, evolution, and earth systems field science. In addition, active participation in courses, conferences and presentations prepare students to become effective communicators, advocates and leaders who confidently share research findings with their peers and make science more accessible to the public.
Program Curricula
Our graduate program curricula support a sound professional education encompassing factual and theoretical concepts grounded in primary research skills and training. Students may create an individualized curriculum with consultation and permission from their Research Committee and the Graduate Program Committee. Regardless of the curricula, graduate students must show knowledge of curricular subjects through oral and written examinations.
Research Areas
BEES faculty are natural scientists, social scientists, and humanities scholars who take a hands-on approach to exploring the diversity of life on Earth. Faculty research is focused on three core areas:
Graduate students can tailor their academic and career interests across five core fields of study: ecology, evolution and systematics, biodiversity, conservation, earth and environmental science. Faculty take a hands-on approach when investigating past and present environmental change. Research interests range geographically from the tropics to the Arctic, from local to global scales, and from the smallest phytoplankton to enormous dinosaurs. Faculty and students use novel techniques and the latest equipment to explore life on Earth and the ecological processes on which life depends. Graduate students work with faculty mentors on extensive and diverse field experiences locally and internationally. Through courses, conferences, and other presentations, students learn how to make their research accessible to broad public audiences and become leading advocates for environmental issues.
Recent Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science Publications
Field Sites
BEES Department students, faculty and staff explore diverse field sites across urban Philadelphia, including the city’s many waterways, to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania and New Jersey's shores, as well as locations of international significance around the world.
John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, Philadelphia, PA
Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia, PA
La Perouse Bank, Canada
Salish Sea, Canada
Monteverde, Costa Rica
Tiputini Biodiversity Station, Ecuador
Nisyros Geopark, Greece
Deccan Traps in the Western Ghats, India