LATEST NEWS

In the New Faculty Profiles, we invite highlighted faculty to discuss their research, describe how SSE has impacted their career, and share any tips or stories they may have for other researchers. This month we highlight Dr. Jesse Weber.

As previously announced, the award for an exceptional Ph.D. dissertation paper published in the journal Evolution, formerly called the R. A. Fisher Prize, has been renamed. A statement about the history of the name and the reason for its change can now be found on the award webpage. SSE Council continues to work on broader issues concerning diversity and representation in our membership, our grant and prize awardees, and leadership. Learn more on the page for our Diversity Committee, which guides these initiatives.

Applications are now open for the 2020 Graduate Research Excellence Grants - Rosemary Grant Advanced Awards. These awards are to assist students in the later stages of their Ph.D. programs. Awards will range from US$2,000 - $3,500 and approximately ten awards will be made. Funds can be used to enhance the scope of dissertation research, such as to conduct additional experiments or field work. Proposals are due September 15. Learn more here.

The Society for the Study of Evolution seeks nominations (including self-nominations) for positions on the Governing Council of the Society as well as the editorial board of the journal, Evolution. Nominations will be accepted via Google Form on a rolling basis; please consult the form for information on each position, including term lengths and start dates. Neither nominees nor nominators are required to be SSE members, but must be willing to become members in order to serve on council or the editorial board.   

Officer nominations submitted by March 1 will receive full consideration by the nominating committee for that year's election cycle; all terms begin January 1. Nominations for the Editorial Board submitted by July 1 will receive full consideration for that year's nomination cycle. 

SSE seeks a diversity of people and ideas on council and editorial boards. We strongly encourage nominations and self-nominations of individuals who represent the full diversity of the evolutionary biology community, including (but not limited to) all aspects of identity and background, types of institution, geographic location, or scientific approach.

SSE seeks participation by individuals committed to increasing diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in science. We strongly encourage nominations and self-nominations of individuals who have a demonstrated commitment to advancing equity and inclusion in science.

African Americans in Evolutionary Science: Where We Have Been and What's Next

This Wednesday at 12:00 PM Eastern, Dr. Joseph L. Graves of the Evolution Institute and Associate Dean of Research and Professor at NC Agricultural and Technical State University will present a timely follow-up to his important paper on the racial diversity crisis in EEB and the experience of Black people in EEB fields. The original 2019 paper in Evol. Ed. Outreach will provide the audience with some background, and he also recommends his recent commentary in "The Scientist" with Dr. Erich Jarvis.

This event is part of the Evolution Community Resources for Early Career Researchers (ECR^2) series of virtual events. If you registered to participate in this event, you will receive a link to the Zoom meeting via email on Tuesday. This event will also be recorded and available on the ECR^2 YouTube page here. Watch the live stream here.

The Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE) is pleased to announce the 2020 Graduate Research Excellence Grant (GREG) – Rosemary Grant Advanced Award competition. These awards are to assist students in the later stages of their Ph.D. programs. These grants are part of the Graduate Research Excellence Grants award program. Applications are not yet open; the link to log in to access the application will be posted on the Rosemary Grant Advanced Award page when it is available. Applications will be due September 15, 2020. Learn more on the Rosemary Grant Advanced Award page.

The Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE) is excited to announce a new Global Membership Assistance (GMA) Program that greatly expands the number of countries that are eligible. This program offers free or discounted membership to students, researchers, and educators in 140 countries and territories around the world. Learn more on the SSE Membership page.

To learn more about SSE’s efforts to make the Society more welcoming for international members, visit the SSE International Committee page.

Congratulations to the 2020 GREG - R.C. Lewontin Early Award recipients! These awards are to assist students in the early stages of their Ph.D. programs. These grants are part of the Graduate Research Excellence Grants award program. 

R.C. Lewontin Award in memory of George Gilchrist:* 
Makenzie Whitener, University of Georgia. Advisor: Andrea Sweigart

McCall Calvert, University of Pittsburgh. Advisor: Corlett Wood
Regan Cross, Queen's University. Advisor: Christopher Eckert
Victor de Brito, Western Michigan Univeristy. Advisor: Devin Bloom
Jenna DeCurzio, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Advisor: Christina Burch
Matthew Farnitano, University of Georgia. Advisor: Andrea Sweigart
Samantha Goldman, Cornell University. Advisor: Andrew Moeller
Diler Haji, University of California, Berkeley. Advisor: Noah Whiteman
Kelsie Hunnicutt, University of Denver. Advisor: Erica Larson
Will Jarvis, University of Ottawa. Advisor: Howard Rundle
Sungsik Kong, The Ohio State University. Advisor: Laura Kubatko
Emily Lau, University of California Santa Barbara. Advisor: Todd Oakley
Michelle McCauley, Emory University. Advisor: Levi Morran
Theresa Miorin, University of Georgia. Advisor: Kelly Dyer
Benjamin Moran, Stanford University. Advisor: Molly Schumer
Emily Nonnamaker, The University of Notre Dame. Advisor: Elizabeth Archie
Klara Norden, Princeton University. Advisor: Mary C. Stoddard
Kennedy Omufwoko, Princeton University. Advisor: Sarah Kocher
Ian Rines, Illinois State University. Advisor: Ben Sadd
Srijan Seal, Ashoka University. Advisor: Imroze Khan
Ruben Tovar, The University of Texas at Austin. Advisor: David Hillis
Adrian Troya, Universidade Federal do Parana. Advisor: John Lattke
Mackenzie Urquhart-Cronish, University of British Columbia. Advisor: Amy Angert

*This award was funded by donations to the George Gilchrist Student Support Fund.

This year, SSE requested voluntary demographic information from award applicants in an effort to address bias and promote equity in awarding across multiple axes of diversity. Visit the R.C. Lewontin Early Award page to learn more. 

"The biological sciences research and education community is deeply concerned by the July 6, 2020, guidance from United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that would force international students to leave the country if they do not participate in in-person instruction during the fall 2020 semester. The new ICE guidance should be rescinded immediately."

Read the full statement from the American Institute of Biological Sciences here.

Evolution Community Resources for Early Career Researchers (ECR^2) is a series of online events hosted by the Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE), the American Society of Naturalists (ASN), and the Society of Systematic Biologists (SSB). This series, taking place in July and August 2020, is aimed at re-creating some of the networking and professional development opportunities that are such a valuable part of our in-person Evolution meetings. 

Registration closes July 10, so reserve your "seat" now!

The SSE Education and Outreach Committee is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 T. H. Huxley Award, Dr. Erin L. McCullough and Ms. Lauren Verdeflor and colleagues Alaina Weinsztok, Jason R. Wiles, and Steve Dorus for their activity, "Exploratory activities for understanding evolutionary relationships depicted by phylogenetic trees: united but diverse." In the activity, students use complementary phenotypic and molecular data to explore how to build phylogenetic trees and interpret the evolutionary relationships that they represent. Read more here.

The SSE Council is in the process of renaming what has previously been called the R. A. Fisher Prize. We sincerely thank the many members of our community who have made their thoughts known on this issue. This award was originally named to highlight Fisher’s foundational contributions to evolutionary biology. However, we realize that we cannot, in recognizing and honoring these contributions, isolate them from his racist views and promotion of eugenics--which were relentless, harmful, and unsupported by scientific evidence. We further recognize and deeply regret that graduate students, who could have been recipients of this award, may have hesitated to apply given the connotations. For this, we are truly sorry.

The idea of changing the name has been discussed amongst SSE Councils in the past. After hearing from many in our community and further discussion among SSE leadership, the Council has voted to change this name. A new name will be announced once it is determined, and a fuller explanation and history of this award will be posted on this page.

In the meantime, we are continuing to work on broader issues concerning diversity and representation in our membership, our grant and prize awardees, and leadership. Learn more on the page for our Diversity Committee, which provides strong guidance on these initiatives, and in a 2019 blog post by Diversity Committee representatives. 

Dear SSE Community,

I am writing to you from my home just 10 km from the site in Minneapolis where police killed George Floyd, the latest in a long series of atrocities against Black Americans. This and other tragic events are set against a backdrop of anxiety, fear, and grief owing to the global Covid-19 pandemic, which has disproportionately affected Black people, Indigenous people, Latinx people, and others in already marginalized groups. The Society for the Study of Evolution mourns these losses and condemns racism, harassment, and discrimination in any form.

To our members in the Black community, we extend our heartfelt sympathy and abiding support at this especially difficult time. To this community, and to all biologists of color: we hear you, and we see you. We will listen to and amplify your voices. We are striving to learn how to do better, and we will continue to work toward inclusion and equity in all of our activities. 

SSE’s mission is to promote the study of evolutionary biology. The scientific core of evolutionary biology is valuing and appreciating biological diversity. Likewise, we welcome, support, and celebrate the diversity of our members. Like many fields of science, the field of evolutionary biology has lacked diversity, with Black people and people of African descent being particularly underrepresented (Graves 2019). Centuries of inequity and racism, suffered severely by Black communities, have resulted in barriers to participation in STEM that we must all work to break down. We promote equity, inclusion, accessibility, and diversity at all levels, and we encourage participation by individuals of all identities. 

We also acknowledge that concepts central to evolutionary biology, especially heredity and natural selection, have historically been misused to justify egregious manifestations of racism, and that even today, co-options of evolutionary biology are being used to support racist ideologies. As evolutionary biologists, we must confront this disinformation.

We encourage the SSE community to recognize, amplify, and celebrate the contributions that Black scientists have made, and continue to make, to the field of biology despite myriad barriers. This week, we have an excellent opportunity to do this. A group of Black biologists, collected under ;@BlackAFInStem on Twitter, started the Black Birders Week initiative, which is highlighting Black birders and naturalists. We wholeheartedly support these efforts and encourage you to follow the conversations and contributors this week on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at #BlackBirdersWeek and #BlackInNature, and to be on the lookout for similar future initiatives.

In the wake of last week’s painful events, I encourage all of us to examine acutely how privilege manifests in our daily lives and our work, to take steps to mitigate the resulting harm, to examine our own tendencies to stereotype, to call out racist or exclusionary statements, and to consider ways to act and provide support. 

In solidarity,



Ruth Shaw
President, Society for the Study of Evolution

Dear SSE Community,

First, I hope you are able to stay safe and well.

Our stated mission as a scientific society is to promote the study of evolutionary biology. In the coming months, we will continue to strive toward that goal as we are able, but it will likely look different from  what we’re used to. We have started a Resources Page with links to online teaching resources, seminar series, and tips for conducting research from home. (Submit a resource here.) We are also in the process of considering options for virtual events this summer, with the goal of supporting our early career researchers as well as possible. 

Lastly, I want to acknowledge that though we are experiencing a global phenomenon, we all face unique challenges and experiences. Please remember to be kind to one another -- including yourself! We especially encourage those who, in the coming years, will be evaluating individuals for new faculty hires or promotions, or for postdoc positions, or as prospective grad students to avoid weighting heavily the amount or quality of work that appears to have been accomplished during this difficult time. Now more than ever is a time of extenuating circumstances, when matters far out of our control are making drastic, unforeseen changes in our lives and work.

Thanks for reading, and for being part of this community. 


Ruth Shaw
President, Society for the Study of Evolution

Only 10 days left to apply for SSE funding for your international symposium, workshop, or short course! This year the International Committee awards can be used for virtual events too. Submit your application by June 1! 

We are pleased to announce a new series, Evolution Highlights. Each month, this series will highlight some of the interesting and varied papers published within the last few years in Evolution. This month, we highlight "How mountains shape biodiversity: The role of the Andes in biogeography, diversification, and reproductive biology in South America’s most species-rich lizard radiation (Squamata: Liolaemidae)." Highlight by Damien Esquerré. 

We are pleased to announce a new series, Evolution Highlights. Each month, this series will highlight some of the interesting and varied papers published within the last few years in Evolution. This month, we highlight "Differential introgression of a female competitive trait in a hybrid zone between role-reversed species." Highlight by Sara Lipshutz. 

In the New Faculty Profiles, we invite highlighted faculty to discuss their research, describe how SSE has impacted their career, and share any tips or stories they may have for other researchers. This month we highlight Dr. Clare Scott Chialvo.

In the New Faculty Profiles, we invite highlighted faculty to discuss their research, describe how SSE has impacted their career, and share any tips or stories they may have for other researchers. This month we highlight Dr. Michael Landis.

Congratulations to the 2020 Dobzhansky Prize Winner, Dr. Jacqueline Sztepanacz! Dr. Sztepanacz is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto and an Invited Fellow at the Centre for Advanced Studies at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. The Dobzhansky Prize recognizes the accomplishments and future promise of an outstanding young evolutionary biologist. The prize is accompanied by a check for U.S. $5000, and the recipient is invited to speak at the annual Evolution meeting.

The 2021 annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE) is planned for June 25–29, 2021 at the Albuquerque Convention Center in NM USA. The SSE Council invites proposals for one sponsored symposium at the meeting. Sub-fields or taxonomic groups that have been underrepresented in past symposia will be considered preferentially. Previous sponsored symposia are listed on the SSE website along with detailed instructions for preparing proposals.

In addition to novelty, we seek a symposium topic that will help SSE celebrate its 75^th birthday in 2021!

Congratulations to Dr. Dorota Paczesniak, recipient of the 2020 Fisher Prize for her paper, “Parasite resistance predicts fitness better than fecundity in a natural population of the freshwater snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum.” The R. A. Fisher Prize is awarded annually by the Society for the Study of Evolution for an outstanding Ph.D. dissertation paper published in an issue of the journal Evolution during a given calendar year. The award comes with a $1000 honorarium.

In light of the uncertainties around event planning for the next few months, the Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE) International Committee has extended the deadline for two of their grants:

Co-sponsorship of symposia organized by non-US evolution societies
The goal of this award is to foster communication between scientists from different countries by stimulating scientific dialogue through co-sponsored symposia. Evolution societies with limited financial resources will have the opportunity to invite speakers who are SSE members to their meeting. This will provide growth opportunities for both societies, since it will not only benefit the hosting society but also create opportunities for new collaborations for the invited speakers.

NEW DEADLINE: JUNE 1, 2020

Evolution International Events Award
These events are aimed at furthering the purpose of SSE by fostering international collaborations amongst evolution oriented societies and scientists. Eligible events would include specialized symposia, workshops and short courses in any aspect of evolutionary biology. The events could be hosted either in the US or abroad and preference should be given to events that specifically include participants from countries other than the USA.

NEW DEADLINE: JUNE 1, 2020

The deadline to submit a nomination for the SSE Lifetime Achievement Award has been extended to April 26. SSE values the contributions of diverse researchers and encourages nominators to consider all potential mentors and colleagues. Self-nominations are welcome. 

The SSE Graduate Student Advisory Council (GSAC) is in search of two additional student members to serve in the 2020 cohort! 

The GSAC represents student and postdoc interests to the SSE Council and facilitates interaction among students and postdocs, and between students, postdocs, and mentors. Our goal is to be a source of information for students to use during their graduate school career and as they make career transitions. GSAC members must be graduate students at the time of application, and at least one year into their PhD program. Applicants should be organized, possess leadership skills, and be interested in working with SSE members to contribute to the Society. 

Applications are due April 22, 2020.