The McKenna Lab
Revealing the Ecology, Evolution & Genomic Basis of Insect Biodiversity Through Field, Laboratory & Collections-Based Research
Overview
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People: Professor & Principal Investigator Duane McKenna, Postdocs (Kevin Moran, Na Ra Shin, and Terrence Sylvester), PhD Research Associates (Rich Adams, Cristian Beza, Dave Clarke, Stephanie Haddad, Xuankun Li & Seunggwan Shin), Graduate (PhD) students (Michael Charles, Soohyun Jeong, Yihang Li), Undergraduates, and other lab members.
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Research: Insect systematics, genomics, and evolution with a focus on beetles (order Coleoptera), geographic patterns of diversity and endemism (worldwide), and the ecology, evolution and genomic basis of specialized plant-feeding and chemosensation. Research in my lab is relevant to agriculture, forestry, and the study and conservation of insect biodiversity in a rapidly changing world.
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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.
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January 2025: The McKenna Lab is searching for a PhD student in the general topic area of insect genomics and evolution. Contact for questions: Duane McKenna (dmckenna@memphis.edu)
Word collage based on abstracts of
papers published by the McKenna
Lab; made with www.wordle.net
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
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Have an idea for a collaborative project? Want to discuss getting involved in an existing project? Contact Dr. McKenna
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT
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Antarctic beetles have diversified in isolation for over 50 million years... See our recent paper in PNAS.
STUDENTS & POSTDOCS
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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