
These figures are truly remarkable for a researcher in this area. Zuk has published over 150 research papers, many in top-tier scientific journals such as Science, Trends in Ecology & Evolution, and theJournal of Evolutionary Biology. Her work has more than 14,000 citations in the literature-five of her papers have over 500 citations each the Hamilton-Zuk paper alone has over 3,700. Her work has played a key role in connecting parasitology with modern thinking about evolution, ecology, and behavior, and she is considered a pioneer in researching the evolution of immunity and immune response. As a doctoral student at the University of Michigan, she and her PhD supervisor, renowned evolutionary biologist William Hamilton, proposed one of the first and most influential theories of the role of parasitism on sex selection, known as the Hamilton-Zuk hypothesis. Zuk is also celebrated as a prolific and engaging writer and communicator in addition to her numerous scholarly publications, her many forays into popular media have brought scientific fact and processes to bear on the issues of our time in a way that is accessible to the general public.įrom the start of her career, Zuk has made groundbreaking contributions to her profession.


She is credited with defining new questions, as well as developing theories and procedures that are now considered foundational in the discipline. Zuk is described as an innovative thinker, an exceptional researcher, and a skillful and supportive mentor and advisor. She came to the University of Minnesota in 2012, after 23 years at the University of California, Riverside.

Marlene Zuk, acclaimed scientist in the fields of animal behavior and evolutionary biology, is a professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior in the College of Biological Sciences, as well as the college’s associate dean for faculty. Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, College of Biological Sciences, 2019
