Cornell Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

EEB's Steve Ellner, the Horace White Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology in the CCornell Universitynews!

How ‘bacterial zombies’ play a role in immunity, evolution | Cornell Chronicle Microbes that cause an infection remain biochemically active after they die, continuing to trigger a host’s immune system while also making the immune response less effective.

More accolades going out to our graduate students -- please join us in congratulating them!

The Robert H. Whittaker award, given in recognition of the best oral presentation made by a graduate student at the Annual Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Graduate Student Symposium, was presented to Jackson Phillips.

The Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Book Award, given in recognition of the best oral presentation by a beginning ecology and evolutionary biology department/field graduate student at the Annual Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Graduate Student Symposium, went to Rachael Shippee.

The Lamont Cole Award, given for an outstanding paper by a graduate student of a Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology faculty member or joint appointee, was presented to Bryce Robinson.

Our department is delighted to announce this academic year’s Teaching Assistant award recipients, and to recognize the outstanding contributions our graduate students have made to teaching across the department and Cornell University
Please join us in congratulating the following award winners:

CALS Outstanding Teaching Award — Kaci Zarek
Department TA Award — Jarrod Fyie
A&S Russell Family Teaching Award — Jackson Phillips

These honors reflect the exceptional dedication, skill, and impact our TAs bring to their teaching and mentorship.

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University
Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences

Updated Spring 2026 seminar series details!

"Spring cold snaps harm nesting tree swallows, but some show resilience." Co-leader of the Cornell Tree Swallow Research Project, is the paper’s senior author, EEB's associate professor Maren Vitousek in the Cornell University news!

https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/04/spring-cold-snaps-harm-nesting-tree-swallows-some-show-resilience

“A lot of early climate change literature focused on how animals respond to increases in average temperatures, but these short-term fluctuations in temperature could actually be as important, or maybe even more important, than exposure to average temperature changes,” said Conor Taff, EEB research associate and co-leader of the long-term Cornell Tree Swallow Research Project.

Spring cold snaps harm nesting tree swallows, but some show resilience | Cornell Chronicle Warming temperatures cause tree swallows to nest up earlier than they once did, but early spring cold snaps can hinder nestlings’ growth and survival.

EEB's Anurag Agrawal, the James A. Perkins Professor of Environmental Studies in Cornell University news!
Milkweed evolves ‘mind-blowing’ tactic to fight monarchs:

"...the study could help in monarch conservation efforts, providing guidance on safe and harmful species. It’s also a showcase of Cornell’s strengths in chemical ecology and cross-campus collaboration..."

Milkweed evolves ‘mind-blowing’ tactic to fight monarchs | Cornell Chronicle Milkweed has found a new strategy in its epic evolutionary battle with monarch butterflies: structurally upgrading its toxins to outmaneuver monarchs' resistance.

Bryan MacNeill is a postdoc in EEB's Smith Lab. In 2025, Bryan was the recipient of a Postdoc Achievement Award for Excellence in Mentoring -- read the full story ...
https://gradschool.cornell.edu/spotlights/postdoc-spotlight-bryan-macneill/?

Welcome back from Spring Break! Here is our department's revised Spring 2026 SEMINAR series line-up:

Mark your calendars! Faculty from our department (Andre Kessler, Anurag Agrawal) along with NB&B colleague Rob Raguso are hosting the International Society of Chemical Ecology (ISCE) Annual Meeting 2026: JUNE 21 - 25, 2026 on the Cornell University campus.

Register by: MAY 29, 2026 11:59PM

https://events.ces.scl.cornell.edu/event/ISCE2026/home

The event will bring together students, research scientists, and stakeholders from around the globe to explore the dynamic field of chemical ecology. Set against the backdrop of Ithaca, NY, attendees will have the opportunity to engage in stimulating discussions and presentations on a wide range of topics.

For more information about the ISCE, please visit: https://chemecol.org

EEB's Anurag Agrawal, the James A. Perkins Professor of Environmental Studies has been appointed president of the American Society of Naturalists: https://www.amnat.org/announcements/ASN-election-results-2026.html

Please join us in congratulating Anurag!