Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Michigan State University

The Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior (EEB) at Michigan State University is a graduate-level program that was founded in 1986, with Guy L. Bush as the first director. The first degrees were awarded in 1989 under the name Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Behavior was added to the name in the 1990s and the program was known as the Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior (EEBB) for nearly 30 years. In 2020, the name was shortened to Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior (EEB). As of 2023, the EEB Program had more than 75 core faculty, 40 affiliated postdocs, and 100 graduate students, along with more than 500 alumni. Elise Zipkin is the current Director of the Program.
The EEB Hub is located in the Biomedical and Physical Sciences Building on the university's main campus, while most participating faculty and students are located within their home departments. During the academic year, EEB offers weekly seminars, mostly given by invited speakers from other institutions, and biweekly colloquia for graduate students and postdocs to present their in-progress work and receive feedback. The EEB Program sponsors a number of initiatives including Envision EEB, a graduate preview weekend for students from historically excluded backgrounds intended to ameliorating disparities in access to graduate education in the biological sciences, and the Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior.
Graduate program and research areas
Upon completing their program of study, graduate students receive either a dual degree (Ph.D.) or a specialization (M.S.) in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior with the corresponding degree from their home department. The EEB Program at MSU differs from most other programs and departments with similar names by including many faculty and students who apply ecological and evolutionary concepts to computational systems.
Program rankings and notable people
In 2010, the National Research Council ranked ecology, evolutionary biology, and behavior at MSU between 4th and 21st in the United States based on its R-ranking metric. That metric compares a program's features with those of other top-ranked programs in the field, as judged by scholars in the field at other institutions; the range in the ranking reflects statistical uncertainty. In July 2023, the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects compiled by the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy ranked ecology at MSU 11th in the United States and 32nd globally, out of 112 US institutions and 500 in total. In April 2024, Research.com ranked MSU 11th (of 236) in the United States and 20th (of 810) in the world in ecology and evolution.
Notable faculty
* Christoph Adami
* Guy L. Bush
* Nick M. Haddad
* Donald J. Hall
* Richard Lenski
* Elena Litchman
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* Charles Ofria
* Robert T. Pennock
* Douglas Schemske
* James Tiedje
* Thomas S. Whittam
* Phoebe L. Zarnetske
* Elise Zipkin
Notable alumni
* Meghan Duffy, University of Michigan
* Mark McPeek, Dartmouth College
* Jennifer E. Smith, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire
* Michael Travisano, University of Minnesota
* Paul E. Turner, Yale University

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