Phil Barden

Phil Barden is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), where he leads the Barden Lab. His research integrates paleontology, genomics, X-ray imaging, and fieldwork to study the evolution and ecological success of social insects, especially ants and termites.

His educational background includes:

• PhD from the Richard Gilder Graduate School at the American Museum of Natural History (2015), advised by David Grimaldi
• NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship at Rutgers University–Newark with Jessica Ware (2015–2017)
• BS in Life Sciences from Arizona State University, advised by Jennifer Fewell

Barden's research focuses on understanding biodiversity, evolutionary relationships, and phenotypic-genomic dynamics across deep time. He specializes in amber-preserved fossils, which offer high-fidelity records of extinct species spanning over 100 million years. By combining cutting-edge CT-scanning with molecular data, his work advances reconstructions of phylogeny, divergence times, and biogeographic history.

Although specific publications are not listed in the provided text, his research output likely centers on ant and termite evolution, morphological adaptation, fossil systematics, and integrative methods in paleoentomology. His interdisciplinary approach bridges organismal biology with modern technological and genomic tools.

Notable recognition includes:

• National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship

Barden actively mentors students in the Barden Lab, supervising research in paleontology, imaging, and insect evolution. While no specific grants are mentioned, his past NSF fellowship indicates a strong record of competitive funding. His lab engages in outreach and media communication, reflecting a commitment to public science engagement.

The Barden Lab is a multidisciplinary research group that brings together techniques in paleontology, imaging, and genomics to explore the evolutionary success of social insects. Current research themes include fossil discovery, functional morphology, and phylogenomic analysis of ants and termites.