Andrew MacColl

Andrew MacColl is a Professor of Evolutionary Ecology at the School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, with a career spanning over two decades at the institution. His research focuses on adaptive radiation, environmental variation, and evolutionary processes in wild populations, particularly using the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) as a model organism.

His academic journey includes a B.Sc. in Ecological Science from the University of Edinburgh (1990) and a Ph.D. from the University of Aberdeen (1998). He has held roles as Lecturer (2005–2013), Associate Professor (2013–2019), and Senior Lecturer, contributing to both theoretical and experimental studies in evolutionary biology.

• Research Themes: Understanding adaptation failure at species' distributional limits, the interplay of migration and evolution, and the role of mitochondrial genetic variation in energetic supply and demand.
• Methodology: Combines observational ecology, long-term datasets, field experiments, and genetic techniques (quantitative and molecular genetics).

He has secured grants from major funders including NERC, BBSRC, and The Leverhulme Trust. Current and former lab members include PhD and MRes students, several of whom have transitioned to academic, conservation, or industry roles globally.

• Scientific Awards & Fellowships:
  • Leverhulme Trust International Academic Fellow (2017–2018)
  • Royal Society Travelling Fellow (2004–2005)
  • NERC Postdoctoral Fellow (2005–2008)

His lab collaborates internationally, such as with Daniel Berner's team in Basel, and has published in high-impact journals like Nature Ecology & Evolution and Science. His work bridges ecological context with genomic insights to explain evolutionary mechanisms.