Robert L. Dorit

Robert L. Dorit is a Professor of Biological Sciences at Smith College, with a secondary affiliation at the University of Massachusetts Amherst's Organismic & Evolutionary Biology (OEB) department. His research focuses on experimental and computational approaches to molecular evolution, antimicrobial development, and plant genetics. He holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University.

Research interests include: (1) Re-evolution of RNase P in E. coli to study functional adaptation, (2) Engineering bacteriocins to combat antibiotic resistance, and (3) Investigating seed bank dynamics in Stellaria media to understand plant adaptation. Collaborations include work with Dr. Margaret Riley (UMass Amherst) and Dr. Sonia Sultan (Wesleyan University).

His lab integrates experimental evolution, genetic analysis, and computational modeling to address fundamental questions in evolutionary biology. Office: Ford Hall 114, Smith College. Secondary office at UMass Amherst's French Hall 203.