Christopher Oufiero

Dr. Christopher Oufiero is a Professor and Graduate Director in the Department of Biological Sciences at Towson University's Fisher College of Science and Mathematics. He directs the TU Mantis Lab investigating functional morphology and evolutionary physiology.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology (UC Riverside)
• M.S. in Life Sciences (Indiana State University)
• B.S. in Biology (Montclair State University)

His research integrates evolutionary biology, functional morphology, and biomechanics to study mantis diversity. Current projects examine relationships between diet, prey capture mechanics, and ingestion rates across species that mimic different microhabitats. The lab employs 3D high-speed videography, machine learning, and DNA metabarcoding techniques.

Dr. Oufiero teaches courses including Animal Physiology, Ecological Physiology, and Organismal Form & Function Lab — a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) he developed. His pedagogical research focuses on creating authentic research experiences in organismal biology education.

The TU Mantis Lab maintains several species colonies and collaborates with researchers nationally. Current graduate student projects investigate Tenodera sinensis diet-morphology relationships and orchid mantis predation variation.