Amber Rice

Amber Rice is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Lehigh University within the College of Arts and Sciences. Her research program focuses on evolutionary biology, particularly on understanding the causes and consequences of reproductive isolation and speciation using hybridizing bird species as model systems.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Biology from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2008)
• Postdoctoral research at Uppsala University studying hybridization in flycatchers (2008-2010)
• Additional postdoctoral research at UNC Chapel Hill studying reproductive character displacement

Dr. Rice's research centers on evolutionary mechanisms, with particular emphasis on hybridization, speciation, animal behavior, and cognition. Her lab uses naturally hybridizing black-capped and Carolina chickadees as a primary study system, taking advantage of the fact that Lehigh University is located within their hybrid zone. Current projects investigate how hybridization affects learning and memory across different environments, call learning abilities, microbiome diversity, and metabolic function. Her work has demonstrated that hybrid chickadees show learning and memory deficiencies compared to pure species, suggesting cognitive barriers to gene flow.

Analysis of Dr. Rice's publication record reveals a strong trajectory from studying character displacement in spadefoot toads to investigating hybridization in chickadees, with increasing focus on the cognitive consequences of hybridization. Her recent work integrates genomics, behavior, and physiology to understand the multifaceted nature of reproductive isolation. A notable trend is the development of interdisciplinary collaborations across institutions to address complex questions about speciation mechanisms.

Advising and Collaborations:

Dr. Rice actively mentors graduate and undergraduate students in her lab. Current graduate students include Wei (William) Li, Syrmalenia Kotronaki, and Austin Russell. Her former students include Dr. Alex Van Huynh (now Assistant Professor at DeSales University) and Dr. Michael McQuillan (now Research Associate at University of Pennsylvania). She collaborates with researchers at University of Colorado Boulder (Scott Taylor), Franklin & Marshall College (Tim Roth), University of Montana (Zac Cheviron), University of Wyoming (Matt Carling), and Elon University (Amanda Chunco), creating a robust network for interdisciplinary research on speciation.

Research Facility:

The Rice Lab at Lehigh University combines field research with laboratory studies of animal behavior and cognition. The lab's location within the chickadee hybrid zone provides a unique natural laboratory for studying evolutionary processes in real-time, particularly as the hybrid zone shifts northward due to climate change. The lab employs approaches ranging from behavioral observation to genomic analysis to understand the mechanisms maintaining species boundaries.