Kenneth E. Filchak

Kenneth E. Filchak is a Teaching Professor at the University of Notre Dame, where he has served since 2003, progressing from Assistant Teaching Professor to Associate Teaching Professor and currently holding the Teaching Professor position since 2017. Based in Jordan Hall of Science, he is deeply involved in undergraduate education and biological sciences research, with his office located at 148 Jordan Hall of Science in Notre Dame, Indiana.

His academic credentials include:

• Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame (2001)
• B.S. in Zoology from Michigan State University (1994)

Professor Filchak maintains exceptionally broad research interests spanning evolutionary biology, ecology, and organismal biology, with significant published work focused on ecological genetics and speciation using the Rhagoletis pomonella model system. His scholarly pursuits extend to bacteriology, microbiome studies, vertebrate paleontology, mammalogy, sexual selection mechanisms, historical analysis of science (including publications on Father Julius Nieuwland C.S.C.), and evidence-based pedagogical methods for science education.

His teaching excellence has been formally recognized through the prestigious Rev. Edmund P. Joyce C.S.C. Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, which he received in both 2012 and 2019.

Administratively, he contributed substantially as Director of the Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Program from 2013 to 2017, demonstrating leadership in academic program development while maintaining active research and teaching responsibilities.