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Richard Lenski studies the genetic mechanisms and ecological processes responsible for evolution. Unlike traditional evolutionary biologists, Lenski conducts experiments to observe evolution in action. His ongoing experiment, which began in 1988, involves a team following 12 populations of bacteria as they evolve in the lab for 75,000 generations, providing insights into the process of adaptation, natural selection dynamics, genome evolution, the repeatability of evolution, and the origin of new functions. In addition to his research on bacteria, Lenski has studied digital organisms, which are computer programs that self-replicate, mutate, compete, and evolve problem-solving abilities. He has served as past President of the Society for the Study of Evolution and was a member of a National Research Council committee that reviewed the scientific methods used by the FBI in its investigation of the 2001 anthrax attacks. He co-founded the BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, which brings together biologists, computer scientists, engineers, and philosophers to illuminate the power of evolution in real-time. Lenski has received fellowships from the Guggenheim and MacArthur Foundations and is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as well as the American Philosophical Society, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He has published over 250 papers and has mentored numerous graduate students and postdoctoral researchers at universities nationwide and globally.
Department of Psychology