Derek D. Houston

Derek D. Houston is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Western Colorado University, affiliated with the Natural & Environmental Sciences Department and the Clark Family School of Environment & Sustainability. He holds a PhD in Biology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (2009), an MS in Zoology from Brigham Young University (2002), and a BS in Zoology from Brigham Young University (1999).

His research focuses on phylogeography, molecular ecology, and conservation of desert fishes, with fieldwork spanning western North America, British Columbia, and Baja California. Key interests include:

• Evolutionary adaptations of aquatic organisms using DNA sequencing
• Population genetics of western North American fishes
• Ecological impacts of parasites on mutualistic systems
• Climate change effects on alpine and desert species

Houston teaches courses including Biogeography, Cell Biology, Conservation Genetics, Ecology, and Fisheries Biology. His publications emphasize evolutionary patterns in aquatic insects and fishes, nematode-fig wasp interactions, and conservation genetics, frequently leveraging genomic tools to explore ecological relationships.

He conducts fieldwork in diverse western ecosystems and values interdisciplinary collaboration to address conservation challenges.