معرفی
Jeffrey Feder is a full Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Notre Dame, where he has been a faculty member since 1993 and earned tenure in 2006. He is affiliated with the College of Science and contributes to interdisciplinary initiatives including the Eck Institute for Global Health, the Environmental Change Initiative, Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics, and the Integrated Biomedical Sciences graduate program. He also directs GLOBES, an NSF-funded interdisciplinary graduate training program in environment and society.
Research Interests: Dr. Feder's research focuses on ecological and evolutionary genomics, particularly the mechanisms of sympatric speciation. His lab studies the apple maggot fly (Rhagoletis pomonella) as a model system for real-time speciation driven by host plant shifts. His work integrates genomics, population genetics, neurophysiology, and field ecology to understand how ecological adaptation leads to reproductive isolation and biodiversity. Additional interests include vector-borne diseases like Chagas disease and the coevolution of insect communities under climate change.
Recent Research Trends: His recent publications highlight the genomic architecture of speciation, the predictability of evolutionary trajectories, and cascading diversification across trophic levels. Articles span topics from transcriptomic responses to host environments to the dynamics of tipping points in speciation, reflecting a multidisciplinary approach combining empirical data with theoretical insights.
- Sloan Foundation Evolutionary Biology Fellow
- NSF Career Award
- Fellow, Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin
- Fellow, John J. Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values
- NSF Dimensions of Biodiversity Grant (co-PI, $2M)
Advising and Grants: Dr. Feder has mentored numerous PhD and master’s students, including Cheyenne Tait, Glen Hood, Mary Glover, and Meredith Doellman, many of whom have published high-impact research. He actively recruits graduate students with backgrounds in bioinformatics and evolutionary biology. His lab has secured major funding from the NSF, Indiana Clinical and Translational Science Institute, and other sources to support research on speciation genomics and disease vector diagnostics.
Labs and Teams: The Feder Lab at Notre Dame is a vibrant research group focused on evolutionary genetics and genomics. It collaborates widely, including with researchers at the University of Florida, University of Colorado Denver, and Binghamton University. The lab emphasizes both field and laboratory work, maintaining strong ties to the broader Rhagoletis research community and contributing to global understanding of speciation dynamics.
