David Keller Jacobs

David Keller Jacobs is a Professor and Vice Chair of Outreach and Infrastructure at UCLA's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. His research integrates molecular biology, paleontology, and environmental science to explore evolutionary processes. Key focuses include resolving conflicts between molecular and fossil data regarding the Cambrian Explosion, studying sensory organ evolution in basal animals like jellyfish, and investigating how physical processes like sea-level changes shape biodiversity.

His work emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches, combining genetic analyses with ecological and geological data. Notable projects include documenting the origins of California's marine fauna linked to historical upwelling events and discovering cryptic species in estuaries using molecular tools. The Jacobs Lab at UCLA is renowned for its synthetic methodology in evolutionary biology, bridging molecular genetics, developmental biology, and paleontology.

• Research Themes: Evolutionary genetics, marine biodiversity, ancient DNA, cnidarian development, climate-driven speciation
• Field Sites: California coasts, French Polynesia, Gulf of California
• Key Findings: Molecular clocks vs. fossil records in Cambrian timing, sensory evolution in early animals, estuarine genetic divergence mechanisms

Publications highlight innovations in eDNA processing, genome sequencing of endangered species like the tidewater goby, and paleoenvironmental reconstructions. Despite no listed awards, his impactful contributions to evolutionary biology are evident in high-impact interdisciplinary studies. Ongoing work explores epigenetic mechanisms in early animal evolution and the historical ecology of coastal ecosystems.