Scott Taylor
- Associate Professor
- Director, Mountain Research Station
- ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
Evolutionary ecology • Population genomics
Hybridization, speciation, evolutionary ecology, and population genomics (primarily of birds); impacts of anthropogenic change on species distributions, interactions, and evolution.
My research applies genomics and field experiments to natural hybrid zones and closely related taxa in order to investigate the architecture of reproductive isolation—the hallmark of speciation—and the genetic bases of traits relevant to speciation. This research also provides insight into the impacts of anthropogenic change, including climate change, on species distributions, interactions, and evolution.
Check out the Taylor Lab for more about the work of my research group, including the Boulder Chickadee Study, and my teaching and publications. Graduate and undergraduate students can also find information about joining the lab. I am also the Director of the CU Boulder Mountain Research Station.
Education
- PhD: Queen's University, 2011
Teaching
I teach a number of field-based and lecture format undergraduate courses. I incorporate creativity into my pedagogy when possible, and encourage my students to engage with the subject matter in unconventional ways. Students who take the course Ecology and Evolution in the Galápagos Islands keep field notes alongside watercolor depictions of their observations.
See Scott's courses on his lab website.
Current postdocs
Current students
Outreach
RIO Faculty Fellow community talk: Contemplating evolution: Why making spaces to be curious was important for this gay scientist. YouTube video, October 2023.
The Storycollider story: Becoming: Stories about growing into yourself. Storycollider podcast with transcript, May 2022.
TedX Boulder talk: Why you should pay attention to backyard birds. YouTube video, July 2019.
Publications