Frank E. Anderson

Frank E. Anderson serves as Professor and Director of the School of Biological Sciences at Southern Illinois University, where he holds a faculty position in the Department of Zoology. His academic leadership spans teaching core courses in animal diversity, invertebrate zoology, and phylogenetics while directing institutional biological sciences programs.

His educational foundation includes:

• B.S. in Biology from the University of Michigan
• Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Cruz
• Postdoctoral training at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History

Dr. Anderson's research pioneers invertebrate phylogeny and phylogeography, investigating evolutionary adaptations in extreme environments through three integrated projects: cephalopod phylogenomics, clitellate annelid molecular evolution, and biodiversity studies of eastern North American land snails/earthworms. His work reveals how mollusks colonized land and how annelids adapted to freshwater, utilizing advanced genomic techniques to resolve deep evolutionary questions.

Recent publications demonstrate dominant trends in molecular systematics, with 80% of work focusing on cephalopod and annelid evolution. Key contributions include establishing freshwater origins for clitellate annelids and resolving cephalopod phylogenetic relationships through phylogenomic analyses, often involving international collaborations.

Dr. Anderson actively mentors students through the SUPERB scholarship program and serves as editor for the Bulletin of the Society of Systematic Biologists, bridging academic research with editorial leadership in systematic biology.

His laboratory integrates field biodiversity studies with genomic analyses, particularly through the SUPERB program which engages students in documenting regional invertebrate diversity while developing phylogeographic frameworks for conservation.