Justin Yeakel

Dr. Justin Yeakel is Associate Professor and Biology Program Chair at UC Merced's School of Natural Sciences, with a joint appointment as External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute. He leads the Quantitative EcoDynamics (QED) research group investigating ecological and evolutionary constraints on trophic interactions.

His research examines physical and biological constraints shaping species interactions through theoretical and empirical approaches, including nonlinear dynamics, stable isotope analysis, paleontological data, and historical records. Key research areas include food web stability, extinction risk patterns, isotopic niche space, and behavioral evolution.

Dr. Yeakel has extensively published on ecological networks, megafauna extinctions, and population dynamics. Recent work explores mass-dependent extinction thresholds, coarse-grained food web dynamics, and mortality patterns in megafauna. He mentors graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in eco-evolutionary studies.