Oliver Beckers

Oliver Beckers is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Murray State University, affiliated with the College of Science, Engineering and Technology. His research focuses on phenotypic plasticity, evolution, and animal behavior, using crickets (Gryllus rubens), katydids (Neoconocephalus triops), and parasitoid tachinid flies (Ormia lineifrons/O. ochracea) as primary study organisms.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Biological Sciences (Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior), University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
• M.S. in Biology (Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior), Friedrich-Alexander University-Erlangen

His lab has conducted extensive studies on katydid call patterns and parasitism by tachinid flies, culminating in a 5-year NSF grant (2018) for collaborative research with colleagues from the University of Missouri and West Virginia. The lab also trains graduate students, including Kyler Rogers (2019), who focuses on katydid parasitism.

Scientific Awards:

• NIH Postdoctoral Fellow

Beckers teaches courses such as BIO101 Biological Concepts, BIO526/626 Phenotypic Plasticity in Biological Systems, and BIO538/539/638/639 Animal Behavior. His research integrates ecological and evolutionary perspectives to understand behavioral communication mechanisms in insects.