The McKenna Lab
Revealing the Evolution & Genomic Basis of Insect Biodiversity
Overview
People: professor & principal investigator Duane McKenna, research assistant professor Stephanie Haddad, postdocs (Austin Baker, Xuankun Li, Lynette Strickland), PhD research associates (Rich Adams, Cristian Beza, Dave Clarke, & Seunggwan Shin), graduate (PhD) students (Michael Charles, Soohyun Jeong), undergraduates, and other lab members.
Research: insect systematics and evolution with a focus on beetles (order Coleoptera), geographic patterns of diversity and endemism (worldwide), biodiversity conservation, general natural history, and the ecology, evolution and genomic basis of plant-feeding.
Affiliation: Center for Biodiversity Research (CBio) in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Memphis—a leading metropolitan research and teaching institution in Memphis, TN, USA.
Feb. 2022: The McKenna Lab is looking for multiple postdocs in the general areas of insect genomics & bioinformatics. Contact Dr. McKenna to inquire.
Word collage based on abstracts of
papers published by the McKenna
Lab; made with www.wordle.net
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Have an idea for a collaborative project? Want to discuss getting involved in an existing project? Contact Dr. McKenna
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT
Antarctic beetles have diversified in isolation for over 50 million years... See our recent paper in PNAS.
STUDENTS & POSTDOCS
Seeking a lab in which to pursue postdoctoral research or graduate studies?
CENTER FOR BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH (CBio)
CBio offers a wide range of opportunities in biodiversity science & education for researchers & students