Eileen Lacey

Dr. Eileen Lacey is a Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, where she leads the Lacey Lab based at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. Her research centers on vertebrate social behavior and population biology, with field studies conducted in Argentina, California's Sierra Nevada, Brazil, Panama, and Australia. The lab maintains a captive colony of Colonial Tuco-tucos (Ctenomys sociabilis) and utilizes molecular analyses for parentage and population studies through the MVZ's Laboratory for Evolutionary Genetics.

Research interests focus on the interplay between social structures and physiological mechanisms in vertebrates, particularly rodents. Lab members investigate stress physiology, gut microbial diversity, and neuroendocrine mechanisms using field observations combined with molecular techniques. Current projects examine dispersal behaviors in tuco-tucos and Belding's ground squirrels, integrating field work with captive colony studies to understand evolutionary processes in social systems.

Recent publications (2020-2022) analyze social organization in highland tuco-tucos (Ctenomys opimus), revealing temporal and spatial variations in group living, relationships between social behavior and stress hormones, and facultative sociality patterns. These studies employ multi-disciplinary approaches spanning behavioral ecology, endocrinology, and molecular biology to uncover mechanisms underlying vertebrate social evolution.

Dr. Lacey has mentored doctoral students including Shannon O'Brien (PhD 2022), Kwasi Wrensford, Erin Person, and Daisy Horr, whose work has secured competitive funding from the NSF, Ford Foundation, and American Society of Mammalogists. The lab strongly advocates for diversity and equity in biological sciences, issuing public statements supporting anti-racism initiatives and systemic change.

Housed in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, the lab collaborates with other research groups on stress physiology and gut microbial analyses. Current activities include Nikki Lee's NSF-funded postdoctoral work on neuroendocrine mechanisms in tuco-tucos and field studies in Argentina, alongside maintaining the captive Colonial Tuco-tuco colony for behavioral research.