Leif Hembre

Leif Hembre is a Professor of Biology in the College of Liberal Arts at Hamline University. He serves as Administrative Head of Life, Mind, and Health Sciences, Co-Director of Collaborative Research, and Department Chair in Biology.

Education:

• BA in Biology and Environmental Studies from Saint Olaf College
• MS and PhD in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior from the University of Minnesota

Research Interests:Hembre is an ecologist and evolutionary biologist studying zooplankton populations and food web interactions in lakes. His work explores predator-prey dynamics, genetic adaptations in Daphnia, and seasonal/diel distribution patterns using acoustic analysis techniques.

Publication Trends:His peer-reviewed work (spanning 2003–2012) focuses on trophic interactions in freshwater ecosystems, including predation timing effects, genetic structure changes, and behavioral adaptations. Key journals include Hydrobiologia, Journal of Plankton Research, and Freshwater Biology.

Professional Involvement:He holds memberships in the Association for the Sciences of Limnology & Oceanography (ASLO) and Ecological Society of America (ESA). He advises the Hamline Beta Beta Beta National Biology Honor Society chapter and serves as faculty liaison for the university's Men's Soccer Team.

Teaching Philosophy:Hembre emphasizes inquiry-based learning through laboratory experiments, fieldwork, and scholarly literature discussions. His courses include ecology and evolution, aquatic biology, invertebrate biology, and physiology.