Texas Tech University

Timothy A. Linksvayer, Associate Professor

Social evolution, evolutionary genetics

Email: t.linksvayer@ttu.edu

Phone: 1 (806) 834-1856

  • Postdoctoral fellow, Centre for Social Evolution, University of Copenhagen (2008-2011)
  • Postdoctoral fellow, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University (2006-2008)
  • Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Indiana University (2005)
  • B.A. in Biology, Carleton College (1998)

Web Links:

Linksvayer
I joined TTU in January 2021 after ten years at the Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania (Assistant Professor, 2011; Associate Professor, 2017). My lab studies the genetic, developmental, and behavioral underpinnings of complex social phenotypes and social systems in order to understand how these systems evolve and function. We primarily use ants as a study system because ant colonies are exemplar complex social systems, have diverse social phenotypes, and are nice models for research in social evolution, developmental genetics, behavioral genetics, and collective behavior. Current projects include:

  • Comparative genomics of social complexity in ants and spiders
  • Using developmental genetics and comparative genomics to study the genetic underpinnings and evolution of an obligately sterile worker caste in ants
  • Developing the pharaoh ant Monomorium pharaonis as a model for studying the genetic and behavioral basis of complex social traits

Select Recent Publications

Department of Biological Sciences

  • Address

    Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Box 43131 Lubbock, TX 79409
  • Phone

    806.742.2715
  • Email

    biology@ttu.edu