Morgan R. Muell
M.S. Zoology – Southern Illinois University - Carbondale, 2020
B.S. Biology – Iowa State University, 2018

I study the patterns and processes underlying phenotypic variation. I utilize an integration of phylogenomic, experimental, and spatial approaches to answer my research questions, typically using amphibians and reptiles as study systems. 

I am currently a PhD Candidate in Biological Sciences at Auburn University, working with Dr. Daniel A. Warner and Dr. Jamie R. Oaks. My PhD research focuses on the evolution of developmental plasticity in Anolis lizards. The amount of developmental plasticity that an organism can exhibit determines the level of phenotypic variation in a population, potentially impacting how selection shapes trait distributions across life stages. This means that the processes underlying how plasticity itself evolves could be an essential component to describing trait evolution dynamics writ large. I use experiments and comparative methods to quantify the drivers of variation in developmental plasticity both across species and across populations occupying a wide breadth of thermal environments. Overall, my dissertation seeks to describe how developmental plasticity evolves, using evidence from a comparative perspective. My previous research as a Masters student in Dr. Jason L. Brown's lab at Southern Illinois University - Carbondale focused on phylogenomics and the evolution of Müllerian mimicry in Ranitomeya poison frogs. 

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I am looking for a postdoctoral position starting in Fall 2025! I would like to develop skills in evolutionary genomics and improve my proficiency in geospatial analyses. I am skilled in Bayesian mixed-effect models, experimental design, field work, and phylogenomic methods.