Mia Howard

Mia Howard is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on the ecology and evolution of plant defenses and plant-microbe interactions, particularly in systems like white clover and goldenrod.

• Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Cornell University (2020)
• B.A. in Biological Sciences from Wellesley College (2012)

Her work explores how resource availability (e.g., nitrogen) and microbial communities influence plant resistance to herbivory, with a focus on long-term ecological experiments and evolutionary dynamics.

Her recent publications, including a 2025 Oikos study on nitrogen fertilization and plant morph evolution, emphasize experimental ecology, plant defense mechanisms, and microbial mediation across successional gradients. She collaborates with researchers like Dr. Jen Lau and Dr. André Kessler.

Howard leads the Howard Lab, established in Fall 2022, which investigates plant-herbivore-microbe relationships through field experiments and microbial profiling.