Maurine Neiman

Maurine Neiman is a Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Iowa, where she conducts research on the evolution of sexual reproduction and ploidy level using freshwater snail model systems. Her work addresses one of evolutionary biology's most persistent questions: why sexual reproduction predominates despite its inherent costs compared to asexual reproduction.

Her research spans multiple biological levels from ecosystem ecology to genomics, focusing on how genetic variation generated through sex provides advantages in contexts like host-parasite coevolution, biological invasions, and ecotoxicology. The Neiman Lab specifically utilizes Potamopyrgus antipodarum (New Zealand mud snail) to investigate the maintenance of sexual reproduction, polyploidy, and asexual lineages. Her recent publications reveal connections between whole-genome duplications, mitochondrial performance, and invasion success in these snails.

Her lab demonstrates significant commitment to community engagement through initiatives like the Iowa City Darwin Day celebration, collaborations with local high schools, and developing genomics modules for national computer science curricula. The lab explicitly prioritizes creating an inclusive and equitable research environment that actively dismantles barriers for historically marginalized groups in science.

Professor Neiman's scientific contributions show strong thematic continuity across publication trends, with recent work increasingly integrating genomic approaches to understand the physiological and ecological consequences of reproductive mode and ploidy level. Her research demonstrates how fundamental questions about sex evolution connect to applied areas like invasion biology and environmental toxicology.

Through her leadership in organizing the Royal Society of London Meeting on Molluscan Genomics and editorial work for Proceedings B, she actively shapes research directions in evolutionary biology. Her advocacy for caregivers in science, particularly during the pandemic, highlights her commitment to addressing systemic challenges in academic careers.