Evolution of behavior
Karan Odom, Ph.D.
I study the evolution of complex behaviors, specifically sex differences in animal behavior. My research focuses on the role environment and evolutionary pressures play in shaping these behaviors. Traditionally, sexual dimorphism research focused on the elaboration of male traits through sexual selection, but females of many species are also elaborate. I use integrative approaches to examine how changes in the environment, social cues, and subsequent physiology and gene expression lead to changes in female as well as male behavior, both within an individual’s lifetime and across species. To do this, I combine comparative methods, experimental field studies, and neuroendocrine techniques.
Now accepting Master's students!
The Odom Lab at University of the Pacific is seeking enthusiastic students interested in independent Master's research. Students can gain field and lab skills in topics ranging from hormone regulation of seasonal increases and decreases in female song rates, gene expression associated with these changes, and phylogenetic comparative studies on evolutionary drivers of sexual dimorphism in birdsong. Applications for January admission are due by November 2023. More information on the Master's program at University of the Pacific can be found here. Please email me (kjodom [at] umd.edu) with questions or interest!
