Janice Edgerly-Rooks

Janice Edgerly-Rooks is the Michael and Elizabeth Valeriote Professor of Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences at Santa Clara University. Her research focuses on the behavior, ecology, and silk-spinning biology of webspinners (Embioptera), with particular emphasis on their social organization, environmental adaptations, and silk production mechanisms. She holds a B.A. from SUNY Cortland, an M.S. from SUNY Syracuse, and a Ph.D. from Cornell University.

Teaching includes courses in entomology, ecology, and biodiversity, with fieldwork components in Trinidad and Tobago. Her lab explores silk protein diversity, thermal adaptation, and behavioral ecology. Collaborations with institutions like UC Riverside and the University of New Mexico advance understanding of embiid evolution and silk biophysics. A PBS Deep Look documentary highlights her work on webspinners' silk innovations.

Key research themes include silk spinning mechanics, habitat specialization, and evolutionary drivers of behavioral diversity. Her work bridges entomology, material science, and evolutionary biology, with findings published in Zoology, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and BMC Evolutionary Biology.