Sharyn Marks

Sharyn Marks is a Professor of Zoology and Department Chair at the Department of Biological Sciences, California Polytechnic Humboldt State University. She earned a BA from the University of Chicago (1987) and a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley (1995).

Her research focuses on Herpetology, Conservation Biology, and Evolutionary Developmental Biology, integrating ecological studies with natural resource management to address global declines in amphibian and reptile biodiversity. She investigates factors regulating amphibian activities, species distribution modeling, and life-cycle habitat requirements.

Recent publications emphasize

• Herpetological ecology
• Conservation strategies
• Evolutionary genetics
• Ecological niche modeling
• Forest and desert habitat studies
• Hydrological impacts on wildlife

and have been published in journals like Herpetological Conservation and Biology and Molecular Ecology.

She has mentored numerous graduate and undergraduate students, including current advisees Sabrina Horrack, Mary Mackey, and Stacie Nunes. Her work has secured funding for student projects and received recognition, such as the 2013 Best Student Paper in Herpetology by Copeia for co-authored research on Western Pond Turtles.