Research Interests
- Evolution of symbiosis
- Evolutionary diversification
- Ant/Insect macroevolution
- Host-associated microbes
- Molecular systematics and phylogenomics
- Biogeography of insects
- Ant-plant and ant-bacteria symbioses
- Coevolution of ant-associated gut bacteria
- Biodiversity genomics
- Tropical field research
- Scientific education and outreach
- Increasing diversity in the sciences
Corrie Moreau on Google Scholar
Follow @CorrieMoreau on Twitter
Positions
– CALS Senior Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (2023 – present)
– Martha N. and John C. Moser Endowed Professor of Arthropod Biosystematics and Biodiversity, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (2019 – present)
– Director and Head Curator of the Cornell University Insect Collection, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. (2019 – present)
– Robert A. Pritzker Director of the Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Department of Science and Education (2017 – 2018)
– Associate Curator (tenured), Field Museum of Natural History, Department of Science and Education (2014 – 2018)
– Assistant Curator (tenure-track), Field Museum of Natural History, Department of Science and Education (2008 – 2014)
– Faculty Member & Lecturer, University of Chicago, Committee on Evolutionary Biology (2008 – Forward)
– Miller Fellow, University of California, Berkeley, Integrative Biology & Environmental Science, Policy and Management Departments (2007-2008)
Education
– Ph.D. Harvard University (2003 – 2007)
– M.A. San Francisco State University/California Academy of Sciences (2000 – 2003)
– B.S. San Francisco State University (1996 – 2000)
______________________________________________________________________________
I am interested in the origin, evolution, and adaptation of species and maintenance of symbioses, and in particular, how different factors may influence patterns of diversification. More specifically I am interested in how we can use diverse tools including molecular methods, next-generation sequencing, and comparative genomics with field-based research to address these questions.
Teasing apart the factors that have lead to the prolific diversity of the ants is an active line of research in my lab. From the rise of the flowering plants, associations ants have with other insects and plants, to their microbial community are all potential underlying factors that may have facilitated their ecological dominance in almost all terrestrial ecosystems.
Molecular phylogenetics and phylogenomics are powerful tools for inferring the evolutionary history and diversification of biodiversity. By using diverse tools and analytical methods I am working to understand the macroevolutionary factors that have facilitated the evolutionary success of insects and shaped their biogeographic distributions.
By uncovering the diversity and putative function of host-associated microbes we may begin to understand how these interactions are driving the evolution of both partners. Much of my research focuses on gut-associated bacteria in the ants. By coupling this information with data on diet, trophic ecology, evolutionary history and biogeography, I hope to gain a better understanding of how intimate interactions influence patterns of diversity.
Moreover I am also currently pursuing research focusing on understanding biogeographic patterns and historical processes that have shaped distributions of ants in the lowland tropical rainforests of Australia, within the Neotropics, and between the Nearctic and Neotropics on both the evolutionary and contemporary timescales. Using information about current species distributions, genetic diversity, the impact of invasive ants, evolutionary history, and endosymbiotic bacterial communities I hope understand how past climate change has impacted current species and if this information can better inform us to protect biodiversity.
Ultimately I am interested in teasing apart the evolutionary history of social insects and their gut-associated microbes and using this information to better understand the broad-scale evolutionary patterns of life.
I also believe strongly in scientific education and outreach (please visit our Scientific Education and Outreach webpage here). For me this spans teaching university courses to directly supervising students at all educational levels to interacting with other educational programs to working with local school children to creating and being involved in online and digital learning resources for all ages. I founded the Field Museum Women In Science group, which includes paid internship opportunities for young women and girls. Engaging students at all educational levels and the public more generally is an important aspect of sharing science for me.
Graduate students interested in joining the Moreau Lab are encouraged to contact me and apply to the Department of Entomology or the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University. Postdoctoral researchers interested in joining the Moreau Lab are encouraged to contact me to discuss possibilities. There are also volunteer and undergraduate intern opportunities in my lab through Cornell University starting 2019. For more information, please our Join Us! page.
______________________________________________________________________________
CV
For PDF copies of all publications please visit the Publications page
To view or download a copy of my full CV, click below: