Founded in 1975,Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (EEB) was the first department of its kind in the world and is increasingly being used as a model for the organization of biology in the world’s leading universities. Our goal is to lead undergraduates, graduate students, our faculty, and the biological community worldwide on a mission of discovery of the nature and principles underlying ecological and evolutionary systems. Our unifying theme is biodiversity and biodiversification (the processes which create and maintain biodiversity).

On campus, we are the primary home of basic ecological and evolutionary education and research. We study the diversity of life in an integrative evolutionary framework, considering all levels in the biological hierarchy: genes, cells, organisms, populations, communities and ecosystems. This diversity carries over into our work environments beyond the lab. We work in a variety of habitats including the local desert and mountain systems extending into Mexico, the Sea of Cortez and Costa Rica.