Deidra Jacobsen

Deidra Jacobsen is an Assistant Professor and Director of The Conservatory within the Biological Sciences department at Miami University. She holds a Ph.D. in Ecology from Indiana University (2016) and a B.S. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2009). Her research focuses on evolutionary ecology, particularly how plant-insect interactions influence plant defensive strategies, insect behavior, and biodiversity. Current projects investigate abiotic factors' effects on floral morphology and plant-insect interactions in threatened species.

Her research addresses two key questions: 1) How herbivory and pollination pressures shape plant strategies across scales, and 2) How insect host choice and toxin responses drive plant defense evolution. Methods include greenhouse experiments, field trials, and behavioral assays. Recent publications explore herbivory resistance, pollinator behavior, and parasitoid pressures. She teaches courses like BIO 131 (Plants, Humanity, & Environment) and BIO 314 (Plant Diversity).

No scientific awards are listed. Her lab's future work emphasizes conservation-related studies in endemic plant species. While no advisees are noted, her research actively engages ecological and evolutionary themes.