Jason L. Brown

Jason L. Brown is an Associate Professor in the Department of Zoology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. His research integrates theoretical perspectives on evolution, ecology, and population genetics with geospatial, field-based, and molecular approaches to address fundamental questions about speciation, distribution patterns, and biodiversity. Dr. Brown directs an active research laboratory focusing on spatial, genetic, ecological, and evolutionary processes, with particular expertise in South American poison frogs.

Dr. Brown received his BA from Minnesota State University Moorhead, followed by a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies in Biology from East Carolina University in 2009. He completed postdoctoral training at the University of Michigan, Duke University, and City College of New York. Since 2003, he has spent over 33 months in the tropics studying amphibians across Central and South America and Madagascar.

Dr. Brown's research program centers on two main areas: (1) Explicit integration of ecological, genetic, and geospatial analyses to address evolutionary and conservation questions, with focus on methodological and statistical issues; and (2) Behavioral ecology, evolution, and systematics of South American poison frogs (Family Dendrobatidae). His work employs phylogeographic, ecological niche modeling, and phylogenomic approaches to understand how spatial, genetic, and ecological processes interact to generate and maintain biodiversity. He has developed novel quantitative methods for niche evolution analysis and ancestral distribution estimation, with tools released as open-source R packages (humboldt, machuruku) and ArcGIS packages (SDMtoolbox).

Analysis of Dr. Brown's recent publications reveals consistent focus on evolutionary processes, particularly in amphibians. His work integrates spatial, genetic, and ecological data to understand speciation mechanisms, biogeographic patterns, and conservation challenges. A significant portion of his research examines Neotropical poison frogs, exploring color evolution, mimicry, and speciation. He also contributes methodological advances in ecological niche modeling and phylogeographic analysis, with applications across diverse taxonomic groups from plants to reptiles.

• Paper 'Shifting ranges and conservation challenges for lemurs in the face of climate change' highlighted in Science
• Paper 'A key ecological trait drove the evolution of biparental care and monogamy in an amphibian' highlighted in Nature

Dr. Brown mentors a diverse group of students in his active research laboratory. Current students include BreAnn Geralds (PhD), Sofía Granados-Martínez (MS), Jasmine Weber-Pierson (PhD), Jake Hutton (PhD), and Leandro Moraes (visiting PhD student from Brazil). His lab has received NSF Biodiversity Fellowships supporting several students. Former students have gone on to doctoral programs at institutions including Rutgers University, Auburn University, and City College of New York.

The Brown Lab is characterized as 'a motley crew that share a love for science, nature and having fun.' The lab maintains active research on poison frogs, particularly genera Ameerega and Ranitomeya, with projects spanning from fieldwork in South America to genomic analyses. Current research examines speciation mechanisms, phylogeography, niche evolution, and the impacts of climate change on biodiversity patterns.