James M. Sobel

James M. Sobel is the Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Binghamton University (SUNY). He holds a PhD from Michigan State University and a BS from Western Michigan University. His research focuses on evolutionary processes, particularly adaptation and speciation in plants, with an emphasis on understanding reproductive isolation mechanisms, genetic bases of adaptive traits, and the role of habitat adaptation in species divergence. He uses the Mimulus genus as a primary model system, employing ecological, genomic, and molecular approaches to explore these questions.

Research interests include the predictability of adaptive processes, genetic convergence under similar selective pressures, and the evolution of novel traits. Sobel employs comparative methods and studies convergent evolution patterns to uncover general principles. He leads the Sobel Lab, which investigates biodiversity through the lens of evolutionary ecology and genomics, contributing to fields like plant evolution and ecological genetics.

No scientific awards, grants, or student advisees are explicitly listed in the provided information.