Mike Burns

Mike Burns is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences at Oregon State University. His research integrates phylogenomics, comparative morphology, and evolutionary biology to study diversification patterns in global fish radiations.

Research interests include:

• Macroevolution of morphological diversity
• Phylogenetic comparative methods
• Adaptive radiation mechanisms
• Replicated evolutionary events

Current projects investigate the evolutionary lability of key innovations in fish diversification, particularly examining oral jaw structures in coral reef fishes and their relationship to ecological specialization.