Genomic research on the Turkana of northwestern Kenya, led by IB’s Julien Ayrole and Vanderbilt University’s Amanda Lea, in collaboration with Kenyan researchers and the Turkana community, reveals that genetic adaptations developed for surviving extreme desert conditions may predispose individuals from the Turkana community to chronic diseases as the community transitions from pastoralist lifestyles to urban cities. Read the full Berkeley News article here.

The first-ever measurements of ethanol content in fruits available to wild chimpanzees, conducted by Robert Dudley and IB graduate student Aleksey Maro, suggest that these animals may routinely ingest the equivalent of over two standard alcoholic drinks daily. Read the full Berkeley News article here. 

Research out of the lab of assistant professor Victor Ortega-Jiménez and collaborators show how wing-like fans on the feet of ripple bugs inspire a novel propulsion system for miniature robots. Read the full Berkeley News article.  

Assistant Professor Cara Brook is one of 22 researchers to be named 2025 Pew Scholars in the Biomedical Sciences. Read more here.

The Department of Integrative Biology is pleased to welcome Dr. Cara Brook as an Assistant Professor starting July 2025. The Brook lab uses tools derived from field biology, molecular immunology, and epidemiological modeling to study how pathogens persist, transmit, and evolve in both wild animal and human hosts. Learn more about the Brook lab here. 

Congratulations to Dr. Peter Sudmant on receiving tenure and his promotion to Associate Professor of Integrative Biology! The Sudmant lab uses genomics, computational, statistical, and experimental methods to understand aging and genome structure in the context of evolution, adaptation, and cellular diversity. Learn more about the Submant lab here. 

Teaching Assistant Professor Michal Shuldman was selected as one of the instructors for the 2025-2027 Presidential Chair Fellows (PCF) cohort. Awarded by the Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL), PCF faculty design and implement a research study on undergraduate student-centered teaching and learning. Read more here. 

IB Assistant Professor Tierra Smiley-Evans, Chief Veterinary and Scientific Officer for Gorilla Doctors, recently was part of a team that reintroduced four female critically endangered Grauer's gorillas from their sanctuary back into the wild in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Read the full story here.

IB Assistant Professor Victor Ortega Jiménez and a team of researchers have documented how flamingos use their feet, heads and beaks to create a storm of swirling tornados in the water to efficiently trap and then eat their prey. Read more in the Berkeley News article here. 
 

Narimane Chatar, a current NSF Postdoctoral Fellow in Jack Tseng’s lab, was awarded the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship. Read more...