معرفی
Zachary Stahlschmidt serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. His research program integrates physiology, behavior, and ecology to understand how environmental factors and tradeoffs shape animal phenotypes across diverse taxa from insects to snakes.
Dr. Stahlschmidt received his PhD in Biology from Arizona State University (2011) and his BS in Animal Sciences from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (2004). At University of the Pacific, he teaches Environment: Concepts & Issues (BIOL 035), Principles of Biology Lab (BIOL 051), Principles of Biology (BIOL 061), Ecology (BIOL 175), and graduate-level Science Communication (BIOL 294) and Graduate Seminar (BIOL 295).
His research examines how environmental variability (temperature, nutrition, pollution, water availability) and trait tradeoffs influence animal phenotypes. Current projects investigate heat wave impacts, artificial light at night effects, glyphosate exposure consequences, and water limitation on insect physiology, behavior, and life history. His work employs three primary study systems: Gryllus crickets for examining physiological tradeoffs, urban insects for ecological field studies, and colubrid snakes for investigating seasonal physiological changes. The lab maintains a strong student-driven approach where undergraduates and Master's students design and implement experiments, often presenting findings at national conferences and co-authoring publications.
Dr. Stahlschmidt's recent publications demonstrate consistent productivity in top journals including Journal of Experimental Biology, Journal of Thermal Biology, and Environmental Pollution, with research themes spanning behavioral ecology, ecoimmunology, thermal biology, and urban ecology. His work has been funded by the National Science Foundation and featured in prominent scientific outlets.
- Shortlisted for Outstanding Paper of 2021 at Journal of Experimental Biology
- Multiple publications featured on journal covers
- Several papers highlighted in Inside JEB (Journal of Experimental Biology)
He has mentored over 40 undergraduate and Master's students who have presented research at national conferences including the Society of Integrative & Comparative Biology and the National Conference on Undergraduate Research. His lab actively participates in Pacific's Research & Creativity Showcase and maintains collaborations with researchers at Dalhousie University, Arizona State University, and other institutions.
