Evolutionary Ecology

Dr. Som B. Ale, a Clinical Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Illinois Chicago, has spent 15 years teaching a wide range of courses, from introductory biology to ecology and evolution. Complementing his academic role, he brings decades of experience in biodiversity conservation. His research-spanning from the lemmings of Arctic Canada to the snow leopards of the Himalayas-has focused on foraging behavior, ethology, and predator-prey dynamics, all relevant to conservation science.

Dr. Tania L. S. Vincent currently works for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game as a fishery biologist and remains actively involved in ecological research on the intertidal denizens of Southcentral Alaska and in eco-evolutionary game theory modeling. Prior to her work in resource management, she spent over a decade teaching courses ranging from general and community ecology to botany and plant-animal interactions, as well as introductory biology and environmental science, at universities in Alaska, New York, and Wisconsin.

Dr. Joel S. Brown, Senior Member of Integrated Mathematical Oncology at the Moffitt Cancer Center and Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois Chicago, is a leading evolutionary ecologist turned cancer researcher with more than 350 publications. He has contributed to evolutionary game theory, the ecology of fear, foraging ecology and behavioral indicators for conservation biology. For over three decades, his lab has studied species from squirrels and kangaroos to aardvarks and zebras across multiple continents. He now applies ecological and evolutionary principles to define, understand and treat cancer using evolutionarily-informed therapies.