Michael Ferkin

Dr. Michael Ferkin is the Jack H. Morris Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Memphis. His work focuses on animal behavior, particularly olfactory communication and social/sexual interactions in small mammals like voles. He has led over 125 peer-reviewed publications in journals such as Nature and Animal Cognition, and secured over $1.5M in grants from NSF and NIH. He teaches courses in Animal Behavior, Behavioral Ecology, and Comparative Anatomy.

Education includes a B.S. and M.S. from SUNY Brockport, a Ph.D. in Biology from Boston University, and postdoctoral training at UC Berkeley and Cornell University. His research explores four analytical levels: mechanism, development, function, and evolutionary history.

Research interests span animal cognition, behavioral ecology, and sperm competition. His lab has investigated how voles use scent marking for communication, self-grooming as a social signal, and effects of diet and environmental cues on behavior. He emphasizes integrating teaching and research to cultivate scientific thinking in students.