Rosemary Gillespie

Rosemary Gillespie is a Professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, & Management at UC Berkeley. She directs research on evolutionary patterns in island ecosystems, particularly Pacific archipelagos, using arthropods as model systems. Her work integrates genomics, community ecology, and conservation biology.

Research Group: Leads the Gillespie Lab investigating speciation mechanisms, adaptive radiations, and biodiversity dynamics. Current team members include Tom Egdorf (ecological networks) and Jacob Aaron Gorneau (arachnid biodiversity).

Publication Trends: Recent articles (2023-2025) demonstrate emphases on: 1) Genomic drivers of island radiations via chromosomal inversions and transposable elements; 2) Arthropods as bioindicators using DNA metabarcoding; 3) Ethical frameworks for biodiversity genomics; 4) Niche conservatism and community assembly rules across environmental gradients.