Austin M. Garner

Austin M. Garner is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences, jointly affiliated with the Department of Biology and the Biochemistry Program. A functional morphologist and biomechanist, he explores how animals attach to and interact with complex surfaces, integrating life-science and physical-science approaches.

Education

• Ph.D. Integrated Bioscience, University of Akron (2021)
  Dissertation: Examining the relationships between form, function, environment, and behavior in adhesive pad-bearing lizards
• B.S. Biology (magna cum laude), University of Akron (2016)

Research Interests

Garner’s interdisciplinary program centers on functional morphology, biomechanics, and bio-inspired design. Current focal systems include:

• Lizard adhesion: quantifying microscopic setal morphology, claw–substrate interactions, and performance trade-offs in geckos and anoles.
• Sea-urchin adhesion: elucidating tube-foot biomechanics under environmental stressors such as hyposalinity and temperature change.
• Bio-inspired engineering: translating organismal attachment mechanisms into design principles for synthetic adhesives and biologging tag attachment.

His work combines high-resolution imaging, mechanical testing, field experiments, and computational analyses to reveal how form, function, and environment interact.

Publication Trends

Across 15 recent papers (2020-2025), Garner has advanced three major themes: (1) comparative adhesive morphology of lizards and its ecological correlates; (2) environmental modulation of sea-urchin adhesion and locomotion; and (3) cross-disciplinary biomechanical studies spanning fish fins, polar-bear paws, and bio-inspired devices. These contributions appear in leading journals such as Journal of Experimental Biology, Integrative and Comparative Biology, and Royal Society Open Science.

Funding & Grants

• Co-PI, “Advancement of Attachment of Biologging Tags,” Office of Naval Research via University of Michigan (2023-2026)
• PI, “Habitat-level Variation in the Functional Morphology of the Purple Sea Urchin Adhesive System,” Syracuse University (2024)

Service & Outreach

Garner serves as seminar-series organizer and recruitment-committee member in the Department of Biology, co-leads the Form & Function Focus Group within the BioInspired Institute, and regularly reviews for NSF, DoD, and >10 international journals. He has delivered >30 invited talks, including Café Scientifique and K-12 outreach events, and has been featured in Newsweek, The Boston Globe, and phys.org for his expertise on animal behavior during solar eclipses.

Laboratory & Team

Garner directs an active research group at Syracuse University equipped for high-speed videography, force measurement, microscopy, and 3-D surface analysis. Graduate and undergraduate students collaborate on projects examining lizard and echinoderm biomechanics, with opportunities for fieldwork in Jamaica and coastal marine sites.