Biography and Research Interests

Having grown up in the Missouri Ozarks, Dr. Duvernell’s research interests focus largely on evolution and ecology questions in the rivers and streams . Dr. Duvernell is a population geneticist who studies phylogeography, hybridization, reproductive isolation, and biodiversity, primarily of fishes. He is also interested in the applications of molecular genetic tools in addressing conservation genetic problems including biodiversity assessment, invasive species detection, and rare species monitoring. Some of his most recent projects have explored the use of environmental DNA metabarcoding techniques to assess community structure and biodiversity of organisms in Ozark streams. He and collaborators have spent more than twenty years studying the population history and evolutionary ecology of a group of topminnow species that are abundant throughout the central and southern United States. Dr. Duvernell joined the faculty at Missouri S&T in 2017.

Education

• 1998 – Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech
• 1994 – M.S. in Biological Sciences, Saint Louis University
• 1992 – B.A. in Biology and Chemistry, Drury University

Positions

• 2017 – Present, Faculty in Biological Sciences, Missouri University of Science and Technology
• 2000-2017, Faculty in Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
• 1998-2000, Postdoctoral Researcher, Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University