College of Arts and Sciences

Education:

• PhD Behavior, Ecology, Evolution & Systematics, University of Maryland, 2006
• AB, Biological Sciences, University of Chicago, 2000

Curriculum Vitae:

Download (PDF)

Research Interests:

• Urban ecology and evolutionary biology
• Landscape genetics
• Population genomics
• Native and commensal animals
• Evolution of lichen symbionts
• Urban habitat restoration and connectivity

Bio:

Jason Munshi-South joined the Drexel faculty in 2024 as the Betz Endowed Chair of Ecology and Professor in the BEES department. Jason’s research program is dedicated to understanding how wildlife respond, and potentially even adapt, to the urban environments that humans have created. For over 17 years, he carried out research primarily in New York City to understand how rodents, salamanders, coyotes and other organisms navigate a complex mosaic of urban green spaces and intensely built areas. His research group uses population genomic and landscape ecology approaches to understand animal movement, population history, and contemporary evolution. At Drexel he is launching new studies that include Philadelphia as one of several cities to examine whether urban organisms are evolving in parallel across urban areas. Jason teaches courses in population genetics, evolution, and urban ecology. In addition to research, he also engages in outreach through the media, popular writing, and other venues to bring knowledge of urban ecology and evolution to the general public.

Jason earned an A.B. degree in Biology from the University of Chicago and his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland. After his dissertation studies, he joined the Smithsonian Institution as a postdoctoral research fellow at the National Zoo. From 2007-2013, he was an assistant professor at Baruch College – City University of New York, and then joined the faculty of Fordham University from 2013-2024. He attained the rank of Full Professor in 2018, and was funded by multiple grants from the National Science Foundation during his time in NYC. Jason joined the Drexel faculty in 2024 where he will continue his work in urban ecology and evolutionary biology.

Selected Publications:

Books

• Szulkin, M., J. Munshi-South, and A. Charmantier, editors. 2020. "Urban Evolutionary Biology". Oxford University Press, Oxford, United Kingdom.

Selected Publications

• Johnson, M.T.J., I. Arif, F. Marchetti, J. Munshi-South, et al. 2024. Effects of urban-induced mutations on ecology, evolution and health. Nature Ecology & Evolution 8:1074-1086.
• Henger, C.S., G.A. Herrera, C.M. Nagy, M.E. Weckel, L.J. Gormezano, C. Wultsch, and J. Munshi-South. Genetic diversity and relatedness of a recently established population of eastern coyotes (Canis latrans) in New York City. Urban Ecosystems DOI: 10.1007/s11252-019-00918-x
• Plimpton, L.D., C.S. Henger, J. Munshi-South, D. Tufts, S. Kross, and M. Diuk-Wasser. 2021. Use of molecular scatology to assess the diet of feral cats living in urban colonies. Journal of Urban Ecology 7(1):juab022 DOI: 10.1093/jue/juab022
• Harpak, A., Garud, N., Rosenberg, N. A., Petrov, D. A., Combs, M., Pennings, P. S., and J. Munshi-South. 2020. Genetic Adaptation in New York City Rats. Genome Biology and Evolution 13(1):evaa247. DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa247
• Byers, K. A., Booker, T. R., Combs, M., Himsworth, C. G., Munshi-South, J., Patrick, D. M., Whitlock, M. C. 2021. Using genetic relatedness to understand heterogeneous distributions of urban rat‐associated pathogens. Evolutionary Applications 14(1):198-209. DOI: 10.1111/eva.13049
• Carlen, E., and J. Munshi-South. 2021. Widespread genetic connectivity of feral pigeons across the Northeastern megacity. Evolutionary Applications 14(1):150-162. DOI: 10.1111/eva.12972
• Fusco, N.A., E. Pehek. and J. Munshi-South. 2021. Urbanization reduces gene flow but not genetic diversity of stream salamander populations in the New York City metropolitan area. Evolutionary Applications 14(1):99-116. DOI: 10.1111/eva.13025
• Puckett, E.E., and J. Munshi-South. 2019. Brown rat demography reveals pre-commensal structure in eastern Asia before expansion into Southeast Asia. Genome Research 29(5): 762-770. DOI:10.1101/gr.235754.118
• Miles, L.S., L.R. Rivkin, M.T.J. Johnson, J. Munshi-South, and B.C. Verrelli. Gene flow and genetic drift in urban environments. Molecular Ecology 28(18): 4138-4151. DOI: 10.1111/mec.15221
• Combs, M., K.A. Byers, B.M. Ghersi, M.J. Blum, A. Caccone, F. Costa, C.G. Himsworth, J.L. Richardson, and J. Munshi-South. 2018. Urban rat races: spatial population genomics of brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) compared across multiple cities. Proceedings B 285(1880):20180245
• Combs, M., E.E. Puckett, J. Richardson, D. Mims, and J. Munshi-South. 2018. Spatial population genomics of the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) in New York City. Molecular Ecology 27(1):83-98
• Johnson, M.T.J., and J. Munshi-South. 2017. Evolution of life in urban environments. Science, 358(6363):eaam8327.
• Harris, S.E., and J. Munshi-South. 2017. Signatures of positive selection and local adaptation to urbanization in white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus). Molecular Ecology 26(22):6336-6350.
• Puckett, E.E., J. Park, M. Combs, M.J. Blum, J.E. Bryant, A. Caccone, F. Costa, E. Deinum, A. Esther, C.G. Himsworth, P. Keightley, A. Ko, A. Lundkvist, L.M. McElhinney, S. Morand, J. Robins, J. Russell, T.M. Strand, O. Suarez, L. Yon, and J. Munshi-South. 2016. Global population divergence and admixture of the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus). Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 283(1841):20161762.
• Munshi-South, J., C.P. Zolnik, and S.E. Harris. 2016. Population genomics of the Anthropocene: urbanization is negatively associated with genome-wide variation in white-footed mouse populations. Evolutionary Applications 9(4):546-564.
• Munshi-South, J. 2012. Urban landscape genetics: canopy cover predicts gene flow between white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) populations in New York City. Molecular Ecology 21(6): 1360-1378.