Colette M St. Mary

Colette M St. Mary is a Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Biology at the University of Florida. Her research focuses on behavioral and evolutionary ecology, particularly reproductive life history evolution, phenotypic plasticity, and the evolutionary aspects of cancer. She integrates field studies, lab experiments, and mathematical modeling, primarily using fish as model organisms. She actively mentors undergraduate and graduate students, emphasizing open communication and collaborative environments. Courses taught include ZOO 6308: Dynamic Optimization Modeling and PCB 4674: Evolution. Her lab explores evolutionary questions ranging from microevolutionary processes to applications in fisheries management.

Research interests include animal personality, domestication, and the ecological context of evolutionary changes. Notable projects involve modeling male reproductive strategies in orb-web spiders and analyzing the impact of urbanization on northern cardinal behavior. She emphasizes undergraduate research opportunities and collaborative work with hobbyists and scientists. Her work often bridges theoretical and applied ecology, with publications addressing topics like stem cell niche dynamics and tumor evolution.

Students under her supervision have pursued diverse topics such as life-history evolution, fisheries management, and behavioral ecology. Her lab’s recent work includes studies on autotomy in leaf-footed bugs and the evolutionary implications of small stem cell niches. Despite no explicit awards listed, her extensive publication record highlights her contributions to evolutionary and ecological research.