Biography

I am from north-central Illinois, where the Fox and Illinois rivers meet, and have held a university appointment continuously since 1989, beginning as an undergraduate teaching assistant of anatomy and physiology at Illinois State University. Following a doctorate from Arizona State University and a post-doctoral appointment at the University of Chicago in the 1990’s, I’ve held faculty and administrative appointments at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Central Michigan University, and Missouri University of Science and Technology.

I currently serve as Missouri S&T’s Vice Chancellor of Strategic Initiatives. In this role I advise university leadership on all matters of strategic thinking and planning. I lead S&T’s efforts in the ongoing development of its newest strategic plan, Foundations for Tomorrow, and am expected to know, study, and communicate risks and opportunities associated with major university initiatives, especially those aimed at driving S&T towards its North Star Goals of (1) Carnegie R1 status, (2) USN&WR Top-100 ranking among national universities, and (3) enrolling 12,000 students.

As a scholar I focus primarily on the integrative and comparative physiology of insects. This work has yielded many journal articles, a book, major grants, research awards, coverage in mainstream media, and valuable friendships. My research is done in both lab and field settings and has taken me to every continent except Australia, and to all terrestrial biomes: tundra, boreal forests, temperate deciduous forests, tropical forests, chaparral, savanna, and deserts.

Disciplines

RESEARCH: comparative and integrative physiology; insect flight aerodynamics and energetics; stress tolerance; learning and memory; aging and senescence; locomotion biomechanics

TEACHING: introductory biology; animal physiology; entomology; ecophysiology; bioenergetics

Education

• 1998 – Ph.D. in Zoology, Arizona State University
• 1992 – M.S. in Biology, Illinois State University
• 1990 – B.S. in Biology, Illinois State University