Dr. Regina Wetzer

Biography

Regina Wetzer is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Southern California. She earned her Ph.D. in Biology from the University of South Carolina in 2000, and holds an M.S. from California State University Long Beach and a B.S. from Loyola Marymount University. Her research principally revolves around Crustacea, particularly marine isopods, investigating evolutionary patterns through phylogenetic inference and extensive field and laboratory work. Wetzer’s contributions include exploring life history traits and biogeographic distributions within invertebrates. She has been part of significant research teams and has published extensively on the phylogenetic relationships and classification of marine crustaceans. Her work integrates morphological and molecular systematic methods to reconstruct evolutionary histories and develop hypotheses for further biological inquiry. Wetzer manages the Marine Biodiversity Processing Center at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, contributing to the understanding of marine biodiversity and collections management. Additionally, she is involved in mentoring graduate and undergraduate students, enhancing their academic and research experiences in marine biology.

Research Interests

Experience