Eric Riddell

Eric Riddell is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research focuses on understanding how animals respond to environmental change through an integrative approach combining physiology, behavior, and physics. He leads a lab that develops simulation-based models to predict species' distribution shifts, extinction risks, and adaptation mechanisms under climate change. Key research topics include thermal and hydric physiology, evolutionary trade-offs, and the application of biophysical ecology to ecological forecasting.

His academic background includes studies on amphibian and avian physiology, with a strong emphasis on linking organismal traits to large-scale environmental processes. Riddell's work bridges empirical field studies with computational modeling, exemplified by tools like the TrenchR R package for microclimate analysis. He emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration to address challenges in conservation biology and climate science.

Notable research themes include the physiological costs of respiration in amphibians, the role of humidity in avian thermoregulation, and genomic insights into polyploid salamanders' environmental adaptability. His lab's contributions enhance predictive models for species' responses to climate change, integrating mechanistic understanding with ecological data.